


Moon Dance

by t_shirt



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Moderate language, mention of lemon, sap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22134862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_shirt/pseuds/t_shirt
Summary: Hiiro finds his feelings for Duo are deeper than he realized during a mission to correct a shift in the moons orbit.Still rummaging around in the oldies box. ^-^
Relationships: 1x2 - Relationship, 3x4
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Moon Dance

Moon Dance  
Post war cannon/Five pretty boys save the world!… again ^-^  
1x2, 3x4  
Fluff, Sap, Light angst, mention of lemon, moderate language

Summary: Hiiro finds his feelings for Duo are deeper than he realized during a mission to correct a shift in the moons orbit. 

“Hiiro? Is anything wrong?” 

“No,” he replied while he gazed distantly out of the shuttle window at the glowing blue and green orb known as Earth. 

He couldn’t blame her for her concern because ever since he learned of their destination he had been distracted and though Relena was as incredibly busy with her duties as ever she was, as always, acutely aware of him. He felt no remorse for the comment, though it could have been construed as not entirely true. However, there were no threats to the mission or the Vice Foreign Minister. All was well with the flight from L4 to Earth and security on the ground had everything under control for their arrival, but in his heart he knew these were not the things she was asking about. 

“We’ll be arriving soon,” Chelsea, the aide assigned to Relena this trip smiled, coming to help her pack away the paperwork she had been working on and prepare for reentry. “Mr. Yui,” she greeted, “Captain Wilson requests that you join him in the cockpit.”

“Must you?” Relena interjected. 

“Would you mind sitting with Miss Relena?” Hiiro asked the young woman while he rose and offered her his seat. “She dislikes reentry.”

“Of course,” Chelsea agreed amiably. 

“Will you return before we land?” Relena asked, wrinkling her brow in disappointment while she strapped in. 

“I’ll see you on the ground,” Hiiro smiled, offering her a reassuring touch on the hand before retreating. 

“If you don’t mind my saying,” Chelsea smiled, watching him leave. “You’re very lucky. He’s quite handsome.”

“Yes,” Relena nodded, biting her lip thoughtfully. “He is.”

“Is there a problem?” Hiiro asked upon entering the cockpit, but the grin Captain Wilson turned on him answered that quickly enough. 

“Of course not, my boy,” he smiled, ushering him inside. “I just thought you might like a front row seat. Sit down.”

It was a bit of a thrill to be where he could see the stars and approaching planet and to have his hands close to the controls, though he had every confidence in the seasoned pilot beside him. Captain Wilson had not only flown during the war, but had been Relena’s personal shuttle pilot since he took the job as head of her security. 

“Would you like to take her in?” he smiled brightly as his excitement glimmered in his eyes. 

“That won’t be necessary,” Hiiro replied, ignoring the disappointment that washed through his companion. 

It was a difficult thing for the ageing pilot to understand, but he had no need to reach back and grasp the glory of days gone by. It was the future that plagued his mind and begged him to move ever forward, even when he wasn’t sure exactly where that next step might take him. 

The landing was smooth, as he expected it to be. The spaceport security force made his presence seem almost redundant while they held the media at bay and protected the Vice Foreign Minister when she and her entourage disembarked. 

“Miss Relena…has there been any word from the deep sea base Gemini?”

“Minister! What are your plans for correcting the deteriorating orbit of the moon?”

“Are you aware of the storms already cultivating over the African coast?”

Relena refrained from comment until they where outside where she paused on a landing Hiiro had indicated suitable and gave a short interview. It was pathetic how the news hounds instantly sensationalized anything and everything they could sink their teeth into. The storms they spoke of always rolled off the African coast that time of year. It was the tides that had shifted causing mild flooding and climatic changes as yet unnoticed by the general public that told the tale and justified their involvement in the Earths current state of crisis. 

“It’s good to know you have the help of such people as Hiiro Yui.”

“Mr. Yui! Will you comment on the shifting of the moons orbit?”

“How will you correct the problem?”

“If there is a way to save Earth…Hiiro Yui will discover it!”

He held his tongue, allowing Relena to smoothly step in and regain control of the interview though the thoughts in his mind brought a scowl to his eyes. How idiotic. Didn’t they realize it was the battle that broke Libra into pieces and forced him to risk his life that caused the problem in the first place? He wondered how much of a hero they would consider him to be if they knew the alteration was due to his inability to completely destroy the debris that had threatened Earth and sent a chunk big enough to slam into the moons surface and jar its orbit. It wasn’t necessarily his fault, but it had happened by his hand.

“Hiiro?” Relena questioned pausing while he held the gate on the ship’s railing open for her and Chelsea. “Are you certain you’re all right?”

“Fine,” he replied ushering them forward.

“General Suka,” she smiled, turning to greet the commanding officer of the battleship Recompense that was to transport them into the open ocean while Hiiro took a moment to straighten the slightly bent latch on the gate before closing it behind him. 

The tension inside him had grown more and more difficult to manage as they neared the end of their journey. It had been months since his short hospitalization after the Mariameia incident and though he still engaged in regular correspondence with the other pilots, he had not seen any of them in some time. Now and then Quatre’s endeavors allowed them to cross paths where he often also found an opportunity to catch up with Trowa as well. They had formed a partnership after the wars and worked diligently to integrate the new governments and aid in the clean up. Quatre was notorious for inviting him to visit and have a vacation or relaxing weekend, but Hiiro had never been comfortable with such settings, leaving them to those who knew better than he how to enjoy them. 

The current problem with the moon’s altered orbit had inadvertently crossed their paths yet again as Quatre and Trowa had been called in to work on the solution. Wufei, as well, was involved, as it had been he and Sally who discovered the problem during a seismic experiment in the Mediterranean Sea. He and his partner were currently on the moon helping to calibrate and strengthen the shields in the hope that the plan might be successful. 

“Duo!” 

Hiiro’s head snapped up at the mention of the braided American’s name to find his smiling face dominating the screen of his charge’s vid phone. 

“Hey, princess!” Duo smiled cheekily, giving her a two-fingered salute. “How’s it shakin’? I heard they were pulling in some heavyweights on this one. Nice to see such a pretty face attached to all that power.”

“How is the progress?” she asked working around the sudden color in her cheeks. 

“We’re on schedule,” Duo smiled. “But Wufei’s gonna have his end ready for testing before we finish unless you happened to bring along a pilot insane enough to brave the pressure with me down here.”

“As a matter of fact,” she smiled stepping back to reveal Hiiro standing quietly behind her. 

Duo’s eyes lit up as if surprised though he had to have known he would accompany the Minister, then something soft washed across his face and Hiiro’s brow knit when he cocked his head and smiled, “Hi, Hiiro.”

“You have need of an extra pilot?” he asked evenly. 

“You bet,” Duo grinned. “I was hoping you’d tag along. Quatre’s been helping out, but he’s not all that comfortable in the dark and I need Trowa on the inside. It sure would step things up if you could lend a hand.”

Hiiro stood for a moment staring into the face of the grinning, expectant Duo before nodding and turning away. 

“Well,” Relena smiled, stepping back in. “Now that that’s settled, may I have a word with Professor Sullivan?” 

Duo was quick to turn the com over to the resident scientist who spent a good deal of time filling Relena in on details she couldn’t possibly have comprehended while Hiiro prowled the deck. He ended up on the upper levels near the crow’s nest where he could see out over the open ocean for miles on end, but his thoughts were not on the spectacular scenery or the task at hand. There was only one thought that dominated his mind and it was the same thought that had plagued him during the wars and brought a darkness to hover over him even to that day. 

Duo.

He never understood the crazy American, but had come to depend on his persistent presence. _”I’m not asking you to trust me, but right now, I’m the only friend you’ve got.”_ The words rang in his memory as it was the first time anyone had declared themselves his friend. He thought the maniac boy with the thigh length braid must have been touched in the head back then, but after awhile, through Duo’s persistence and open smile he came to understand there was something more to life than meeting one’s own goals. There was the joy of caring for another. 

His thoughts were disturbed by the appearance of Relena and Chelsea walking along the deck below. General Suka was apparently giving them a tour of the ship and he smiled when the young lady turned to look up at him just as if she knew exactly where he would be. Feeling nostalgic, he raised his hand to hide his face behind his palm just as he had in the past when the young princess tried to get a look at him and her reaction was to brighten and laugh lightly before returning her attention to the General and resuming their walk. 

She was quite beautiful in the afternoon sun and reminded him of the many times during his youth he wished he could just stop and talk with her. But there was never time, or he found himself unable to find the words, or he was called away. She, too, had been a source of confusion for the stoic Wing pilot. He never quite figured out why he was unable to kill her when circumstances warranted it, but he was very happy that things turned out as they had. They were the same in so many ways, yet somehow he found himself at Relena’s side. There was a job to do of course, but he knew it had a lot to do with the fact that he was comfortable with her. Many people even thought them to be romantically involved though things had not progressed to that level even after all those months in her employ. It was a quiet existence, peaceful…complacent…

“Mr. Yui!”

He turned to acknowledge the ship’s mate that was calling up to him. 

“We’ll be arriving within the hour!”

Had he been up there so long? The setting of the sun on the horizon heralded a resounding affirmative. 

“All right,” he nodded, releasing the young man to return to his duties, but as he stood he paused when he spied a distant spot of motion on the water. 

His heart lurched at the thought that the others might have surfaced in order to come meet them, but that would have been reckless. It would take hours to decompress from that depth. It had to be someone else he told himself firmly, steeling his nerves and ignoring the crumpled steel bar his hand had been on when he spotted the vessel. He was halfway to the bridge when the alarms suddenly sounded, sending him into a sprint. 

“Hiiro!” Relena exclaimed. 

“What’s wrong?” he demanded. 

“Nothing we can’t handle,” the General assured him. “Just some extremists.”

“What do they want?” Hiiro asked, stepping up to check the data on the ship’s screens. 

“There is some disquiet among some of the radical factions that are concerned our efforts will bring the moon down onto Earth instead of correcting its orbit,” he explained. 

“Are you equipped with mobile suits?” Hiiro asked, ignoring Chelsea’s gasp. 

“Of course,” was the reply. “But I see no need…”

“Because you’re about to be assaulted by at least three Cancer,” Hiiro cut him off.

“What?! How did you…?!” but it was already too late as one of the great red mecha below the waves sent a torpedo into their side. 

Chelsea screamed and hid her face in Relena’s chest while the Minister turned angry eyes on the ocean outside and the General began to shout orders over the clamoring men and resounding sirens. 

Hiiro headed for the lower decks, quickly finding a suitably armed Pisces and heading out to meet the enemy. The opposing soldiers were ill trained and inadequately armed making it ridiculously easy for Hiiro to subdue and capture them, but the boat he had seen from the crow’s nest was nowhere to be found once the battle was over. 

The captured men were questioned and revealed much the same information General Suka had supplied before the attack. Their organization blamed the military and Hiiro in particular for the situation and believed their interference would bring destruction to the Earth. From the look of them and the desperation in their actions, Hiiro dismissed them as more of an annoyance than a threat, but adjusted his plans to include the possibility of future attacks.

Damage to the ship was minimal enough that they decided to continue and have a more suitable ship meet them at the drop site before the Recompense returned for repairs. The trip down was ominously quite. Chelsea appeared to still be stunned by the sudden attack and stayed close to Relena’s side. The Minister resonated ill content over the incident, brooding over the political implications while Hiiro silently gripped the railing and forced his heart to remain steady and calm, but is efforts failed the moment the door opened. 

“Welcome to Gemini!” Duo cried, wiping something from his fingers with a rag while he, Quatre, Trowa and the nervous looking Professor Sullivan strode toward them. 

“Hiiro?” Chelsea inquired cautiously, touching his hand while Relena was greeted and introduced.

Hiiro nodded, indicating she should join her superior before wrenching his hand free of the mangled handrail and following her. 

“….sorry there’s no calypso band or anything, but these guys didn’t bring their instruments.” 

Hiiro felt the energy of his oldest friend vibrate inside him when he stepped from the submersible and his chest lurched uncomfortably when Duo’s eyes shifted to take him in and granted him a smile. 

“…hope your descent wasn’t too uncomfortable,” Quatre was saying while Trowa gave Hiiro a nod. 

“It was pleasant enough,” she replied. “Though, it might be nice to dry off.”

“You’re twenty-thousand leagues under the sea, your highness,” Duo laughed. “Nothing down here is dry.”

“However,” Quatre cut in, shooting a scolding glance at Duo’s grinning face. “We can certainly offer you something warm to drink.”

“Coffee,” Chelsea breathed reverently, falling into step with the others, but Hiiro held his ground, watching Duo as he too, remained. 

“Heard you had a little excitement topside,” Duo smiled once they were alone. 

“Hardly,” Hiiro snorted. 

“Not like the old days,” Duo sighed nostalgically. “At least back then there was enough of them to break a sweat.”

“For you maybe.”

Duo laughed out loud at the bold comment, coming to wrap an arm around Hiiro’s shoulders just as if they hadn’t spent the last few months barely speaking to one another. 

“You’re gonna like it down here,” he told him, leading him toward where the others hand gone. “It’s dark…and cold…and you get to slap death up side the head on a daily basis.”

“Like you’d hold still long enough,” Hiiro quipped, taking great delight in the way Duo suddenly stopped to marvel at him. He had worked very diligently on breaking down some of the walls he had built around himself over the past few months and relished the moment of seeing the results sparkling brightly in his friend’s huge, violet eyes. It felt…good.

“Maybe the world has come to an end,” Duo chuckled when they started moving again.

“Why?” Hiiro inquired, still smiling at his own audacity. 

“You just cracked a joke,” he smirked, ducking away when Hiiro tried to pinch him in the side. 

“…With this technique, we can steer DNA or other biomolecules for transport in three dimensions and also separate them according to size and their isoelectric point,” Professor Sullivan was explaining to his blank faced guests. 

“Yo, Chester!” Duo interrupted, taking his arm from around Hiiro’s shoulders while they joined them. “They’re diplomats not rocket scientists. Go easy on’em.” 

The Professor, a tall, balding man with thick, wire rimmed glasses and a habit of forgetting to comb his hair, looked dubiously perplexed for a moment while he stared confusedly into Duo’s grinning eyes, then nodded once and amended, “We’re going to grab her by the…gonads,” he stuttered uncertainly flashing the sniggering Duo a glance, “and lay her back on course.”

Relena was hiding her smile behind her hand, but Duo looked fit to burst with unabashed pride when he strolled over and slapped the blushing man on the back. “Well said, my man,” he smiled. “Only we need a gentler touch,” he explained to the snickering ladies. “If we don’t turn down the heat all we’re gonna manage to do is rip’em…”

“The energy levels must be altered so that the beam doesn’t destroy the target instead of gripping it,” Quatre cut in tactfully. 

“This base was created as a military presence,” Relena commented. 

“Yes,” Quatre nodded. “The beam cannon is a weapon, but with Professor Sullivan’s help, the alterations to change it into a workable tractor beam are already well under way.”

“However,” the Professor interjected. “A single point of force would only push the mass chaotically. It will be necessary to have an additional beam to synchronize and control movement in order to successfully correct the moon’s orbit.” He paused here to glance uncertainly at Duo, who gave him a cheeky smile of approval. 

“You’re doing great,” he praised, bringing a relieved smile to his lips. “She’s not an idiot either,” he smiled, winking at the girl when her cheeks pinked. 

Hiiro shrugged his shoulders, fending off the cold that had settled there at the absence of Duo’s arm and refused to allow his brow to wrinkle sulkily at the flirtatious exchange between his charge and his friend. 

“Where is the second beam?” Relena asked. 

“Lagrange point two,” Professor Sullivan informed her and her eyes snapped instantly to Duo’s smiling face. 

“We’ll use the isoelectric booster engines on L2 for the second force,” he explained. 

“But nothing works on that colony,” Chelsea gasped. 

“We’ll have to repair them,” Quatre piped in. “L2 is the only solar object in the right location to accomplish the task.”

“Its position directly behind the moon makes it the only choice,” Professor Sullivan confirmed. 

“There are crews working on repairing the engines,” Quatre went on. “But they’ve had trouble getting them operational for a long time.”

“Because they’re decrepit,” Chelsea sighed. “That colony was built with substandard materials in the first place. I doubt years of neglect have improved things.”

“You seem very familiar with it,” Duo commented, narrowing an eye on her. 

“I should be,” she snipped defensively. “I was born there.”

“Perhaps she could aide you when you return,” the Professor suggested, but Duo only smiled and gazed at the suddenly guarded young woman. 

“When did you leave?” he asked her in full confidence that his assumption was correct. 

“AC 186,” she replied. “During the plague evacuation with everyone else.”

“Everyone who could afford it,” Relena interjected gently, but Chelsea’s expression hardened defiantly. 

“Father got out everyone who was safely declared clean of the sickness.”

“Save those who were never considered,” Hiiro interjected. 

“Leave her alone,” Duo sighed. 

“Are you insinuating my father purposely left people on that…”

“Duo is a survivor of the plague,” Relena cut her off, ignoring the way her jaw drooped and her eyes bugged out when she turned them on him. 

“You…were healed?” she gasped softly. 

“I never got sick,” Duo shrugged, widening her eyes again. 

“But then…why were you left?” she asked nobody in particular. 

“Because,” Relena smiled gently, “Sometimes all we can do is save the ones we can. You’re father did the best he could.”

“Sometimes circumstances suck,” Duo added nonchalantly, but Hiiro felt himself being drawn closer to him when the old pain flickered in the depths of his eyes. “The best we can do is find a way to change them.”

“Which is exactly what we should be doing,” Quatre sighed, expertly blowing away the dense fog of tension that had crept over the room. 

“You wanna see the sand scutters?” Duo asked Hiiro, who cocked a brow at him. “Professor Chester’s idea of deep water utility bots,” he chuckled, leading his scowling companion away. 

The one-man robots Duo was referring to didn’t exactly impress the ex-Wing pilot, but they proved to be adequate to the task at hand. There were two of them, each capable of handling the pressure at that depth while offering the necessary mobility to perform outside mechanics and the fact that Duo seemed overly delighted that they resembled huge arachnids went a long way to endearing them to Hiiro’s heart. As always, the nutty American could turn even the gravest of situations into a wondrous trek of discovery. 

“Hachi Toes here is the one I usually use,” Duo explained, opening the top hatch of the bot in question. 

“Eight Toes?” Hiiro chuckled, peering down into the other. The bay wasn’t all that large, but adequately built to accommodate the two robots and the access pool that glimmered softly nearby. 

“Well,” Duo shrugged, “They needed proper names didn’t they? That ones Scutter Butt by the way,” he grinned and Hiiro laughed out loud. 

He dropped down into the tiny, transparent cockpit, letting his head stick out of the hatch while he poked around at the console to familiarize himself with the controls. “You gave it a Japanese name,” he commented. 

“Guess so,” Duo replied distractedly while he worked in the control center of his own bot. 

Hiiro felt the darkness of the shadow that had loomed over his world since his separation from his friend after the wars thicken and gather about him when he asked, “Why?”

“I dunno,” Duo shrugged. “Seemed appropriate since they were built in Japan.”

Hiiro dropped down into the machine hiding the reddening embarrassment on his cheeks, though he couldn’t figure out why he was embarrassed anymore than why he had asked in the first place. He cursed his lack of control balling up a fist to smack the console, but held back forcing his mind to calm and remember that it was okay to feel these things. The war was over; addressing his feelings was no longer irrelevant. He just wished he could identify and manage them more readily. 

“Jealous?” Duo grinned and Hiiro jumped at having his head pop into the hatch above without warning. 

“No,” he snapped irritably. 

“Okay,” Duo shrugged, laying his length along the curved hull of the bot so that his braid fell heavily into Hiiro’s lap. “I just thought you might like it better if it had been in honor of you.”

“I need no such egotistical bolstering,” Hiiro grumbled, pushing the thick length of chestnut hair out of his way. 

“No,” Duo grinned, rolling over to peer down at him. “Your ego is fully inflated as is,” he laughed, pulling back before Hiiro could smack him in the head, but barked a painful, “OW!” when he instantly felt himself jerked forward where his jaw bounced off the steel frame of the hatch leaving him groaning in pain and rubbing the injury while he retrieved his braid from Hiiro’s firm grip. 

“I told you your vanity would cost you someday,” Hiiro smirked, emerging from the bot. 

“I don’t keep the braid ‘cause it’s pretty,” Duo groused, still adjusting his battered jaw. 

“No, I imagine its unique beauty would have nothing to do with your determination to retain it,” Hiiro chuckled. 

Duo’s brow knit as he tended the minor injury and considered him while he slid off the bot onto the deck. “You think it’s beautiful?” he asked, sliding down to land lightly beside him, but Hiiro was suddenly looking somewhere else. 

“What is the duration of their energy levels?”

“Three hours tops.”

“Then you’re doing the alterations in segments?”

“Two hours outside at the most ‘cause these things move like their stuck in a web.”

They spent the rest of the evening updating Hiiro on the status and particulars of the job and even though he knew he should simply enjoy the companionship Duo was offering, he just couldn’t shake the shadow that had embedded itself in his heart. He had missed his friend a great deal, more than he was willing to admit, but there was something more, something he couldn’t quite figure out and it held him back, building a thin wall between them he wasn’t really willing to tolerate. 

“Trowa’s probably got dinner ready by now,” Duo told him, wiping the oil from his fingers. 

“He cooks?” Hiiro scoffed, shutting down his laptop so he could disconnect from Scutter Butt’s mainframe. 

“Well, if we let Quatre give it a try we’d starve to death,” Duo laughed. 

“What about you?” Hiiro asked, smirking sideways while they fell into step and headed for the galley. 

“I’m a pilot on this mission,” he replied haughtily. “If I’m gonna risk my ass out there poking around the mouth of an active beam cannon, the least they can do is feed me.”

“Still can’t cook,” Hiiro nodded knowingly, getting an oil rag upside his head for his trouble.

However, when they arrived in the galley it was to find Relena and Chelsea milling around the stove while Quatre and Trowa sat…together. Hiiro noted, very close together, at one of the booth style tables. 

“Maaaaan!” Duo enthused, roaming over to peer into the pots. “That smells great! What is it? Spaghetti?”

“Linguini,” Relena replied, offering him a small bit of the sausage she was stirring. 

“Oh, man,” he groaned happily, rolling his eyes in ecstasy. “If you ever wanna change professions…”

“It’s Chelsea’s recipe,” she informed him, laughing lightly at his antics. “I’m just stirring it.”

“Still wanna tag along to L2?” he grinned at the girl who blushed softly and batted him with her potholder. He paused a moment to consider the scowl on Hiiro’s face when he noticed, then glanced at Trowa and Quatre and suddenly switched gears. “Have you guy’s heard from Wufei?” he asked sliding onto the bench opposite from them.

“He checked in about an hour ago,” Quatre replied. 

“Said he’d like it if you could find time to contact him before you turn in tonight,” Trowa added to Hiiro. 

“How are his preparations on the moon going?” Hiiro asked, but his eyes were on the creeping blush on Quatre’s face due to the encroachment of Trowa’s arm behind his shoulders. 

“He’s on schedule,” Trowa replied, watching Hiiro’s reaction while he laid his hand on Quatre’s shoulder, effectively putting his arm around him. “But we’ll need L2 up and running in three days if we’re to managed the shot this month.”

It was an odd revelation, but not one that overly surprised him. Hiiro had long since accepted the fact that Quatre and Trowa were closer than the average best friends, though this contingency had never seriously entered his mind. However, from the way Quatre was glowing and unable to hold a steady gaze and the unflinching stare Trowa was inflicting on Hiiro, he had no doubt that they had at some point stepped over the line of friendship into something infinitely more intimate. 

“Then we’ll have to finish up here tomorrow,” Hiiro reasoned, choosing to ignore the relief that flooded Quatre’s eyes as well as the small smile that graced Trowa’s lips. The beaming grin on Duo’s face, however, left him fighting a battle against the mantle on his own cheeks while Relena and Chelsea chose that moment to announce that supper was ready. 

Hiiro wished he could just take his food to his cabin and eat when the entire lot around him suddenly became as giddy as a flock of gaggling geese. No one openly said anything about Trowa and Quatre, but they appeared to have become a bit drunk on the open way the blond was snuggling under his lovers arm. Duo was the only one who said anything, but that was only to tease the couple playfully over small couple-type things such as the hickey that peeked from below Quatre’s collar or the possessive way Trowa kept cutting Chelsea off whenever she spoke to Quatre. He made his call to Wufei after dinner, confirming what both of them already knew save for the curious events over supper at the bottom of the sea. 

“Were you aware…” he began, pausing when he realized if Wufei didn’t know he would be informing him. 

“Is there a problem?” Wufei inquired suspiciously. 

“No,” Hiiro sighed. “Everything is fine, it’s just…Quatre and Trowa…”

Wufei waited a moment before a tiny smile curled his lips. “So they finally came out.”

“You knew?” Hiiro gasped softly. 

“It was obvious enough,” he snorted. 

“Not obvious enough for me,” Hiiro sighed dejectedly. Had he truly been the only one that didn’t know?

“Some things are easier to see when you’re not involved,” Wufei nodded, but Hiiro could only crease his brow curiously at the comment. 

“What?”

“You’ll figure it out,” Wufei laughed. “In the meantime, get Duo to L2 on time. Without that secondary beam we have no chance at success.”

Hiiro nodded and ended the call, but his mind still worried at the problem. He wasn’t even sure what the problem was, but something was amiss in his world and he was getting more and more desperate to find it and put it right. He was certain it had something to do with Duo and wondered if perhaps allowing his best friend to drift so far away had been the wrong path. Or maybe it was the issue of Relena’s desire to progress in their relationship and take things to a more intimate level as Quatre and Trowa had. He was so deep in thought he was unaware of the soft moaning sounds in the hallway until he turned the corner and came upon Trowa pinning Quatre to the wall. 

“Sorry!” he blurted, back peddling. 

“Hiiro!” Quatre gasped, tossing his lover a glaring scowl. “It’s our fault. We shouldn’t have been doing that sort of thing out here. I told you we’d get caught!”

“It’s just Hiiro,” Trowa chuckled, moving in on his reluctant lover again. “He’s a big boy, he understands.”

“That is not the point, Trowa Barton.”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Hiiro interjected, backing away again. 

“Hey, Hiiro?” Trowa called after him. 

“Hn?”

“Running away will not win the prize,” he smiled, making his point by kissing his squirming lover square on the mouth. 

Hiiro laughed lightly and retreated, opting to simply return to his cabin and save the trip to the head for later. Duo had turned in due to the need to rise early and begin work, leaving him ample time to go over the plan on his laptop. He spent a good hour reading through the details of the jobs they were to perform the following day when a soft sound drifted to his ears. It was coming from the other side of the wall where Quatre and Trowa’s cabin was located, but he didn’t realize what the sound was until his ear was pressed firmly against the metal and he heard the unmistakable moaning of Trowa’s name. 

He jerked back while his heart slammed against his ribs sending a heated rush throughout his body that caused him to almost drop his laptop on the floor. He tried desperately to control both the rampaging visions of the events in the adjacent cabin and his own fumbling hands while he gathered his things to him and tried to catch his breath. Trowa was…was he…damn! He couldn’t think! He definitely couldn’t think _that!_ Not about his friends! But the images came unbidden to his mind when Quatre’s voice rose in volume and a steady thumping began to sound on the wall. He would be touching him, no doubt, he would be over him, his legs spread…damn it! It wasn’t right for him to think such things! He dropped his laptop on the bed and buried his head under his pillow, but the grunting of Trowa’s voice could still be heard as the thumping on the wall grew faster, then slowed only to speed up again and Hiiro’s mind exploded in a whirlwind of indecent thoughts. 

He would kiss him, as he had in the hall, that’s when they grew quite, he must have been kissing him. His hand moved slowly down his body to grip at the painfully neglected erection beneath his jeans. Quatre was a guy, but that meant nothing to the creative mind and Hiiro’s just happened to be fully capable of solving any problem that arose. Trowa would be on top of him with his hips moving as steadily as the tapping while he repeatedly invaded Quatre’s body. Hiiro’s grip tightened while his eyes squeezed shut and his ears strained to hear Quatre’s pleading cries while his own jerking movements brought him closer to relief. Again Quatre cried out his lover’s name and Hiiro arched back digging his fingers into the sheets while he pushed his body harder, ever higher toward the summit. It was so good, he wished he too had a partner to call out his name, but it was Trowa’s voice grinding out the tone of Quatre’s that resounded in his ears when his body suddenly tensed and released. His mind counted out the remaining taps against the wall when the blinding light began to fade and his heart surged once again when he heard the couple’s capitulation before guilt began to creep into his chest. 

What had he done? Sweet Mother of God! Had he actually just jerked off while listening to his friends make love? He was wholly mortified by his behavior, moving jerkily in his anger to clean himself off. He couldn’t comprehend it, having lost control so badly. He felt as if he owed his friends an apology, but this was not the sort of thing that was absolved through reckless confessions. He was stuck dealing with his guilt on his own but, should he truly feel so badly about it? It was natural wasn’t it? It wasn’t like he had purposely poked his eye into a peephole with the intention of spying on them. The revelation that he was a healthy, human guy with needs and desires just like everyone else made him laugh softly at himself. This was a perfectly natural reaction, though still somewhat embarrassing, but it made him wonder after the fact if he shouldn’t consider the possibility that he was ready to take a lover of his own. 

**

“Morning!” Duo called poking his head out of Hachi Toes’ hatch. “Did you sleep well?” he grinned and Hiiro got the definite feeling he was aware of the particular challenges of sleeping in a cabin beside the resident couple. 

“Don’t you eat breakfast anymore?” Hiiro grumbled, ignoring the growling in his stomach while he dropped his gear into Scutter Butt’s cockpit. 

“Not on workdays,” Duo replied. “Hachi gets a little grumpy when I toss my cookies during the ride.”

Hiiro’s left brow rose at this comment, but he refrained from questioning it. 

“You wanna take the fusion capacitors?” Duo asked, slapping his chest plate into place and Hiiro paused to consider how sharp his slender friend looked in the outfit. “They’re a little tricky if you’re not proficient with the thermal torch.”

“I can handle it,” Hiiro huffed, securing his own light armor, though it seemed almost redundant to use such measures, but one couldn’t be too careful when dealing with pressures of this magnitude. 

“Then let’s get this show on the road.”

Hiiro locked down in the pilot’s seat wishing he had his Gundam and the ample advantages of its size and attributes while he fired the bot’s engines and followed Duo into the glimmering access pool. Outside was an entirely different world. He could feel the pressure of a mile of deep ocean water pressing in on him while he guided the spider like robot along the black sands. Duo was ahead of him where the exterior lights of his unit were the only evidence of life beyond the oppressive darkness and Hiiro’s stomach lurched when he saw the robot suddenly shift left and skitter up the side of a cliff he hadn’t remembered was there. 

“Duo?”

“Take that one slow,” Duo came back over the com. “’Specially if you decided to eat anything before we left.”

Hiiro swallowed nervously, steeling his constitution when he came up on the rock face, but he was still unprepared for the disorientation when the bot rotated and he did not. The cockpits in the sand scutters were built so that the pilot remained upright at all times, pivoting in its static position so that the body and legs were free to move about in any way necessary without tossing the pilot around. However, it was quite disconcerting to have one’s `body` turn upside down when one’s mind remained upright. Each time the robot was required to move into another position, either vertically left or right or even completely upside down it was like suddenly having to pilot a completely different machine and Hiiro was leaning heavily on some of his oldest training in order to keep from becoming too sea sick to complete the mission. 

“The capacitors you need to switch out are on the eastern edge of the crag,” Duo reminded him, moving in the direction of some misty lights embedded in the ocean floor. “I’m going to head over and see if I can finish rewiring the lasers.”

“On my mark,” Hiiro replied, watching the milliseconds tick off. “Mark.”

“See ya on the flip side!” Duo called merrily while he skittered like a giant crab across the black sands. “Try not to fall into the crag!”

“See if you can bring your ass back without a radiation burn,” Hiiro retorted, smiling when Duo howled with glee. 

“You’ve changed,” Quatre’s soft tone sounded over the com some minutes later as Hiiro bit back the urge to vomit while he turned his unit over and back several times trying to get a workable position. 

“Haven’t we all?” he asked distractedly, pushing images of Trowa buried between the fair blonde’s legs out of his mind. 

“I suppose,” Quatre sighed. “But it’s nice to see you’ve learned to take life a little less seriously.”

“Have you cut the power yet?” Hiiro asked, readying his torch. 

“Trowa?” 

“It’s down,” Trowa confirmed. 

“Test it,” Quatre instructed and Hiiro grunted an affirmative when the test was successful. 

An hour passed with little disturbance in which he was able to change out all but two of the capacitors that were necessary to alter the fusion reactors used to supply power to the massive beam cannon. His brow dripped with sweat in spite of the chilling temperatures at the bottom of the sea as his task required a great deal of concentration. It was hard enough just to stay on the rock face, which was perched precariously over a bottomless crag in the ocean floor. If he fell he knew he would never survive, as the increasing pressure of the fall would surely crush his unit before it ever hit bottom. He cursed his frazzled nerves when he dropped one of the plate-sized components when Relena suddenly greeted him.

“How is everything going?” she asked softly and Hiiro bit back the curse as he always did in her presence. 

“Two more to go,” he replied, checking to make sure he still had the spares he had brought along. 

“Wonderful,” she breathed and he could tell she was smiling. It was comforting the way she always openly showed her concern and he took solace in her smile. “That means we might get to have lunch together.”

He paused for a moment thinking of Duo and how his task was coming along before entertaining the thought of what it might be like to actually take her out to lunch on a date. They had done it many times in the past, but he had never considered the time spent as pursuant to an intimate relationship. Intimacy with Relena? Why did the thought leave him less than enthused?

“Are you ready to head back?” Duo cut into his thoughts, sending a hot flash along his cheeks when the reality of what he had been thinking came to light. 

“You go ahead,” he replied shortly. “I still need to get these two in place.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Duo smiled, suddenly looming over top of him where he clung to the cliff and he almost lost his grip, but Duo had hold of him in less than a heartbeat. “You, okay!?” he gasped, looking white as a sheet and Hiiro felt the undeniable urge to reach out and hold him. 

“I’m fine,” he assured him, securing his bot back to the cliff. 

“Hand one of those over and let’s get the hell outta here,” Duo demanded and Hiiro swallowed the huge lump in his throat while he did as he was bid. 

“Fire it up!” he cried once he and Hiiro had backed off to a safe distance. 

“Shields,” Trowa reminded them, sounding terribly bored by the fact that they had forgotten. 

“Always the party poop,” Duo groused, but his shield was moving into place in synch with Hiiro’s, closing the pilots off from the deadly radiation of the beam. 

Hiiro held a hand up to shield his eyes when the massive weapon hummed to life, lighting up the ocean floor for a mile around. The dome of energy hummed and crackled while golden lightening danced over its surface and a cheer went up from the control center half a mile away. 

“You did it!” the Professor crowed. 

“It’s so beautiful!” Chelsea sang excitedly. 

“What’dya think, Hiiro?” Duo asked amusedly. 

“About what?” he inquired, still staring at the awe-inspiring sight. 

“Is it Gem or Ini?” 

“What?”

“It’s gotta be Gem,” Duo concluded, turning his sand scutter back toward the base. 

“Why?” Hiiro chuckled, following. 

“’Cause, Ini sounds more like a solar baby.”

“And Gem is a precious stone of the Earth,” Hiiro agreed. 

“Yeah!” Duo suddenly crowed and Hiiro found it difficult not to grin to the point of splitting his head in half. “Exactly! Hey! You’re really getting good at this!”

The trip back was much easier on his stomach as the smile in his heart overshadowed the queasy feeling of being right side up while most of him was left side down. He shook his head in dismay knowing that it was Duo’s praise that had given him the lovely feeling, but then it had always been so. Even as far back as the last time they were on the moon together he delighted in messing with his mind. He chuckled under his breath recalling the look in Duo’s eyes when he stood ready to shoot him in that cell. Even then he knew his mission to kill the braided menace was no more than an excuse to put him in a position to save him. Never could he have denied himself the warm feeling of seeing Duo Maxwell smile.

“You did it!” Relena grinned happily, giving him an uncharacteristic hug when he dropped to the deck. “Professor Sullivan said it turned out better than expected.”

“That would be Duo’s creative rewiring,” the professor smiled enthusiastically, forcefully shaking Duo’s hand when his feet hit the deck as well.

“Just maximizing the potential for success,” Duo grinned. 

“We’d have had to wait till next cycle if it hadn’t been for your modifications with those torches of yours!” the Professor praised. 

“It wasn’t my technology,” Duo shrugged. “Scythe’s thermal scythe was the prototype.”

“A splendid trick if I do say so,” the professor laughed, clapping Duo on the shoulder. 

“Hiiro here’s the authority on beam cannons,” Duo grinned, masterfully turning the attention to his reluctant partner. 

“Only when they’re being used to atomize,” Hiiro deadpanned, staying any thoughtless enthusiasm that might waft his way. 

The celebration was moved inside where Chelsea attempted to show the Professor how to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich after which Hiiro decided to quietly retreat and work on downloading the data he needed from the sand scutters. His mind wandered while he worked and the dancing lights reflecting off the access pool coupled with a bad nights sleep lulled him into a relaxed state until he finally laid his head back and let himself fall into a light sleep. 

He knew he was dreaming when the images began to dance around him, but the sound of Quatre’s passionate voice still caused his heart to thunder. He knew, by way of logical assumption, he must have been less than comfortable considering the position he no doubt took during such an exchange, but the sounds he had made bore no inclination of any sort of pain or toleration. He heard him calling Trowa’s name so pleadingly in his mind his own body heated in response until his thoughts recoiled when Quatre’s tone suddenly called out his name instead. For a moment he questioned his sanity, but then realized as he woke and heard it again that Quatre was actually in the bay and had, in reality, called to him. However, considering the dream that still lingered in his mind and the stiffness in his lap, he wasn’t quite up to facing the fair blond just at that moment. 

“Hiiro!?”

“He must have turned in,” Trowa reasoned, but the sound of his voice was anything but disappointed. 

“Not here,” Quatre giggled and Hiiro’s head fell back into the soft headrest while his mind whispered `not again.`

“I love it when you say no,” Trowa purred and Hiiro heard something fall and clatter to the floor while Quatre laughed. 

“You’re going to get us in trouble,” Quatre accused. 

“Eventually,” Trowa chuckled and Hiiro was unable to stop his hand from flipping on the outside cams. 

He almost flipped them back off again when he saw that Trowa had his lover bent back over a bench and was openly groping him both with his mouth and his hand, but the truth of it was they had chosen a public place to display their affection. It was hardly his fault if they were seen, so shielded by the still closed barrier that had protected him from the brilliant light of the cannon he sat quietly and watched. 

“We shouldn’t,” Quatre gasped, but he made no effort to stop his lover when his hand slipped inside his pants and Hiiro felt his groin stiffen and pulse at the sight. 

“Too late,” Trowa breathed, moving further over top of him as his hand moved faster while Quatre gasped and arched back into the bench. 

Hiiro’s brow beaded with sweat while his hand slid into his lap and squeezed hard. Never had he dreamed it possible that seeing two guys doing this would heat his blood so quickly, but hearing Quatre’s soft moans and seeing the intensity in Trowa’s eyes while he gazed down at him set a flare burning inside Hiiro’s body that simply would not be denied. However, before he had a chance to free himself and work on his problem, Quatre was crying out, gripping Trowa’s shirt and thrashing beneath him until he suddenly lay still while they gasped for air. 

“Let’s go to bed,” Trowa growled throatily, but all Quatre could do was nod dazedly in reply. 

Hiiro took a deep breath while he watched him guide his wobbling lover out of the bay, but the tension in his body still remained. He already had the problem in hand so he laid his head back and tried to relax enough to deal with it. It would be nice to be able to share such things with someone special, someone he cared about who would react in the same delicious ways Quatre had to Trowa’s touch. He closed his eyes and let his mind reach out for possibilities and small smile graced his lips when Relena’s face swam into view, but the moment appeared to have passed as his enthusiasm quickly withered and shrank. His eyes popped open at the sudden sound of a shield being lowered and his eyes widened when he saw Duo sitting in Hachi Toe’s across the bay. 

Had he known he was in there the whole time? Did he know he was in there at all? His heart raced in search of unknown answers, but Duo never once looked his way when he climbed out of the bot and packed away some loose tools that were lying about. Hiiro watched him intently for any sign that he might be aware of his presence, but all he saw was Duo pause and look to where Quatre and Trowa had been while he gripped his groin, shifted, rubbed and shook out what was apparently a good deal of tension in his body before grinning and shaking his head as he left. 

He had silently watched the passionate exchange as well and Hiiro’s mind swam with thoughtful questions. Did he enjoy it as Hiiro had? The gripping and rubbing seemed to indicate he had. So it turned Duo on to see two guys doing such things? Hiiro felt his fervor reawaken at the thought and his hand gripped tighter while his mind replayed the scene of Duo’s efforts to cleanse his body of the anxiety and suddenly an explosive surge of emotion ripped through his body as his free hand slammed into the ceiling when a powerful orgasm seized his body and left him trembling and weak while he tried to catch his breath and calm his thoughts. He was embarrassed that it had overtaken him so quickly and ended up laughing at himself while he cleaned up to leave. His thoughts were still on Duo, wondering why knowing of his reaction to the events in the bay had excited him so when he ran across him in the halls on the way to the showers. 

“You might wanna wait awhile before you turn in,” Duo chuckled, sucking up to pass by Hiiro in the narrow passage, but Hiiro refused to accommodate him, forcing him to press against him when he passed. 

“Why is that?” he asked, knowing full well what was going on in the cabin beside his. 

“Just a suggestion,” Duo shrugged.

“They’re at it again?” Hiiro chuckled.

“Well,” Duo laughed along. “They’re sort of newlyweds and all. I guess we’ve gotta cut them some slack.”

“What about you?” 

“What’dya mean?” Duo snorted, backing away. 

“There was that girl,” Hiiro recalled. “The one that got shot up bringing us the information on Libra.”

“Hilde?” Duo laughed. “Naw, we’re just friends. I worked with her for awhile after Mariameia. She’s getting married next month. Asked me to be her bride's maid.”

Hiiro laughed along at the joke, but it didn’t reach his eyes when he asked, “So, there’s no one?”

Duo blushed right on cue sending a thrill down Hiiro’s spine he had not been entirely prepared for, but it died quickly when he shrugged and replied, “That Chelsea’s pretty cute.”

“Chelsea?” Hiiro deadpanned. 

“Yeah,” Duo smiled. “You know? We sort of come from the same place.”

“She’s a diplomat.”

“So’s Relena,” Duo pointed out, offering him the way when they reached the recreational wing of the base where the girls where currently watching the news feed from the surface. 

“Yes,” Hiiro replied softly. “But we are not involved.”

“Aren’t you?” Duo countered. 

“No!” he hissed, calling the attention of the girls to them. 

“Good evening, ladies,” Duo smiled, heading for the small bar in the corner. “Anything relevant we should know about?”

“Nothing to report,” Relena smiled, standing to greet her bodyguard. 

“Would you care to play some darts?” Duo asked flipping a switch that opened a panel to reveal the necessary equipment. 

“That would be lovely,” Chelsea smiled happily. 

“We have red, white or straight scotch.”

“Red,” Chelsea smiled. 

“White, please,” Relena replied. 

Duo shot a smirk in Hiiro’s direction that was met with one of his most emphatic scowls before pulling out two tumblers and filling them with scotch. 

**

"Where’d you learn to shoot like that?” Duo giggled emptying his glass again.

Hiiro’s eyes tracked his movements while he staggered around a giddy Chelsea and his hand rested lightly on her hip while he positioned himself to take his shot. 

“I played on a league with my father,” she explained, laughing when Duo’s shot went wide and clanged loudly off the steel wall. “You want some more?” she asked, bumping into a chair when she went to refill her glass. 

“I think you’ve had enough,” Relena chuckled, rising to meet her at the bar. 

“Miss Relena,” she slurred. “You simply do not understand barroom etiquette,” she told her, swaying slightly while she leaned over the bar and whispered, “Never let a man out drink you. He’ll never respect you if you do.” Relena’s left brow rose critically when her head suddenly fell and bounced off the bar. 

“Bedtime,” the Minister declared, hoisting her inebriated aide over her shoulder. 

“I’ll take her,” Duo grinned hungrily, but ended up on his ass when he tripped over the chair and went head over heals into the floor. 

“I think not,” Relena laughed. 

“I feel fine,” Chelsea giggled at the blinking guy on the floor. “Better’n him anyway,” she howled. 

“Good night,” Relena smiled at Hiiro who tipped his glass her way before they left. 

“I can’t believe you lost to that girl,” Hiiro chuckled, standing to help his fallen friend to his feet. 

“Ah, well,” Duo shrugged, collecting his darts. “It’s all in,” he said sending the first straight into the bull’s eyes, “what you want,” he added matching it with the second, “to win,” he finished settling the third beside its mates. 

“You intended to seduce her,” Hiiro commented. 

“I intended to make her happy,” Duo countered, relieving him of his drink so that he could drain it and promptly falling back into the chair when the last of the scotch flowed down his throat. 

“You really are drunk,” Hiiro laughed. 

“Half a bottle of scotch’ll do that to a guy,” Duo grinned through cheeks so rosy red and such a soft, glowing light in his eyes Hiiro had to pause to catch his breath. 

His mind wandered back to the bay and the way he reacted to seeing Duo adjust himself while memories of Trowa’s fervent kisses drowning out Quatre’s impassioned cries came unbidden and suddenly he wondered what it would be like to kiss someone. 

“Maybe you’ve had enough, too,” he smiled, leaning down to relieve Duo of his glass and place it on the table beside him, but the way he was smiling bade him stay instead of standing back up. “Duo?” he softly intoned, wondering what it was he was feeling to cause such a reaction inside him as his breath became short and his mind fought to make sense of the heat bubbling in his veins. 

“Ever notice how your eyes are the same color as the sky at dusk?” Duo asked, raising a shaky hand to brush clumsily down his cheek and suddenly Hiiro was kissing him. It lasted only long enough for him to realize what he had done and pull away, but it was enough to set his blood on fire and thoroughly fry his brain. 

“Never enough,” Duo mumbled and Hiiro breathed again only when he toppled over and passed out. 

He wanted to hold him so he didn’t, but he couldn’t leave him on the floor. His mind raced looking for a solution, but in the end he had no choice but to carry him back to his cabin. He wasn’t heavy, but the burden lay weightily on his chest. His mind flashed on so many times he had been close to Relena, but never felt the fever carrying Duo’s drunken body was instilling in him. He wanted to touch him, but he didn’t dare. He wanted to kiss him again where his mouth dangled so temptingly close when they stepped inside Duo’s cabin, but to do so would have been the ultimate betrayal of their friendship. 

“Hiiro,” Duo groaned, sending a hot thrill through his body when he laid him on his bed. 

“You’re drunk,” he reminded him. 

“I know,” Duo laughed and before Hiiro could move away he had wrapped his arms around his neck and locked their mouths together. 

Hiiro groaned while his body responded, but refused to allow his arms to gather his slender body to him. If he did he had no idea where this might end and Duo was only drunk, behaving playfully and without thought, doing things he probably wouldn’t even remember the following day but…damn it was good! What alcohol he had consumed worked to loosen the ridged hold over his own will allowing his mouth to lap hungrily at Duo’s willing lips until he slowly, to Hiiro’s great relief and disappointment, passed out again, whereupon he quickly untangled himself and abandoned him to return to his cabin. 

This changed everything. No longer was his mind clouded with uncertainty over what was missing in his life. He was definitely ready to take a lover, but he’d had no freaking clue that his first choice on that subject would have turned out to be Duo Maxwell! His thoughts came faster than he was able to analyze them. Every moment of their past together came vividly to life, the understanding that all this time he had secretly wanted to hold the beautiful American burning his brain until he thought smoke might roll out his ears. 

“Damn it!” he growled into the silence, flopping back on his bed. “Okay,” he said forcing his mind to calm. So, this explained his reaction to Quatre and Trowa. He was obviously attracted to men. With that reality came the explanation of why he had never thought to advance his relationship with Relena because he was obviously not attracted to women. So, he was gay. Logical conclusion. She would no doubt be disappointed, but he’d have to deal with that when the time came. Then there was Duo.

Had he even known who he was kissing? He had called his name and it resounded in Hiiro’s mind over and over again leaving him breathless and covered in goose flesh, but that didn’t answer his questions. Did he want him like Hiiro wanted him to? There was only one course of action. He would stay close to him and analyze the situation. His mind calmed a little when he found his path, allowing him to take a deep, cleansing breath and relax, however, it was at that moment that Quatre’s impassioned voice rose on the other side of the wall. Hiiro groaned defiantly rolling over to bury his head under his pillow, swearing that if he ever did the get the opportunity to hear such sounds fall from Duo’s throat, he would make damn sure he was the only one enjoying them.

**

“Hiiro? Did you hear me?” 

“Hm?” he replied, wondering what he had missed while his mind wandered to wherever Duo had gone. 

“Would you like a seltzer?” Relena repeated, offering him a cup of the sparkling water Chelsea was currently hanging her head over. 

“No, thank you,” he declined, turning his attention back to the door where Duo had yet to appear. 

“You should arrive on L2 within two days,” Quatre commented. “Be sure to let us know the moment you dock.”

“Not a second after,” Duo promised, breezing into the galley as his bright smile lit up the room even as Hiiro’s heart skipped a beat. 

”Are we ready to depart?” Relena inquired. 

“Your chariot awaits,” Duo replied, bowing with a flourish to allow her to pass. 

“How can you be so chipper after last night?” Chelsea groaned, looking terribly green around the gills when she stumbled by. 

“I have an incredibly strong constitution,” he smiled, helping her find the door and Hiiro was unable to resist the snicker when he paused to drink the rest of her seltzer and winked at him. 

“We’ll inform Wufei of your departure,” Quatre promised. 

“Tell him I will contact him once we’ve left the atmosphere,” Hiiro requested before following his friends. 

His eyes kept finding Duo wherever he went, but he showed no sign of even recalling what had happened between them the night before. It was a bit of a relief to know he wouldn’t be pressured into any major decisions overnight, but his heart ached for the chance to give it another go. Relena gave him an inquiring look when they entered the surfacing bell, but he refrained from comment. He was not looking forward to confessing his new revelation to her. 

Duo behaved in his usual way during the out trip, leaving Hiiro more frustrated by the minute. He realized by the time they reached the space port that his desire to speak to him about their heated exchange far outweighed his fears and uncertainties, but if Duo didn’t remember any of it there was his rejection to consider. What if he were actually offended by Hiiro’s attraction? What if the whole thing had been nothing more than drunken impetuousness? He wanted to try again, to feel the soft lips that had so eagerly nibbled at his own and allow his arms to wrap firmly around the slim body that walked briskly ahead of him through the busy space port. 

“Hey, Hiiro?”

“Hiiro!?” Relena gasped when he ran headlong into his beckoning partner, bouncing their heads together. 

“Ah, man!” Duo groaned, holding his forehead and Hiiro’s arm for balance. “What the hell?”

“S…sorry,” Hiiro stuttered, silently cursing his distraction while he nursed a bruised cheek. 

“Are you all right?” Chelsea chuckled. 

“At least one of us is,” Duo groaned. “I’m gonna prep our shuttle while you see the girls off,” he added, blinking the tears out of his eyes. 

“All right,” Hiiro nodded, unconsciously reaching out to touch the side of his head. “You’re okay?” Duo nodded, offering him a lopsided smile before breaking away to head down another hall. 

Chelsea stood for a moment giggling quietly at his retreating back before suddenly excusing herself to go have their tickets checked, leaving Hiiro and Relena alone. 

“You missed him,” she commented, watching the way Hiiro kept watching where Duo had gone. Unwilling or unable to breech the subject of his feelings for Duo he replied with a simple nod. “He’s quite a character,” she laughed, walking with him to the shuttle entry. “I can see why.”

He felt bad for his inability to confess to her, but he really wasn’t sure exactly what he should be confessing yet, so he swallowed the guilt and conjured up a smile instead. “Be prepared when you land,” he reminded her. “The press will be aware of your presence by the time you reach L4.”

“I’ll be fine,” she smiled while Chelsea breezed by handing her a boarding pass before getting on the shuttle herself. “Contact me when you reach L2?” 

“If I can,” he promised and his eyes widened when she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. 

“Be safe,” she smiled, leaving him standing stunned in the hall. 

It took a moment for him to gather his senses and get his feet moving toward the military section of the spaceport as his hand came up to brush at the warm spot her lips had left on his cheek while his mind analyzed the feelings it produced. He liked it when she kissed him, liked it very much in fact, but one look at Duo standing in the hatch of their shuttle with his jacket abandoned for the tank top underneath, black pants and boots and those sexy fingerless gloves brought it home very quickly the feelings Duo stirred inside him were well beyond pleasantly warm and he swallowed hard, gazing up into the smiling face of his best friend as his mind licked a sloppy line up his body from the tip of his boots to the end of that pert, little nose. 

“Come on!” Duo called happily while the wind whipped at his bangs and braid and Hiiro had to push down the enormous joy he felt at knowing he would be able to stay by his side. “Do you wanna take her out?” Duo asked once they were seated. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he replied, strapping in. 

“You don’t pilot much anymore, do you?” Duo mused. 

“There isn’t much reason to.”

“Guess you must be getting a little rusty then,” Duo commented, causing Hiiro’s head to cock thoughtfully. “Better let me handle it if…”

“I can handle it just fine,” Hiiro snipped, snatching at the yoke and completely ignoring the cocky smirk hiding in the corner of Duo’s mouth. 

He smiled when they broke the atmosphere, knowing deep down in his heart he was right because he missed this feeling very much. It had nothing to do with days gone by or the glory of battle and was something only someone in his same position would be able to comprehend. It was the simple the joy of flying. 

“Ahhhh,” Duo sighed kicking back. “Feels good to be home.”

Hiiro considered the comment, feeling very much the same when the stars came into brilliant clarity and the oppressive gravity of the Earth fell away. Home, yes, this was the place of his origin, where he had spent most of his life training and executing one mission after another, but in his heart home would always be that warm place he had never been able to find. His eyes shifted to Duo while his mind amended that perhaps he had only not recognized what he had found a long time ago. 

They passed the time playing silly little games Duo informed him were the only reason the Sweepers were not all suffering from space sickness. Hiiro won most of the math based games, but Duo was quicker with forms and radical changes. They were fairly even when the night cycle chimed, signaling the rest period. 

“You’re lucky,” Duo grinned, standing and Hiiro’s blood suddenly froze when he reached for his belt. “I was about to clean you’re clock.”

“Wait!” Hiiro blurted while his heart slammed into his throat when Duo’s pants hit the floor and his eyes raked the perfect body that was being revealed while he pulled his shirt over his head. 

“What?” Duo blinked, dropping the tank on his bunk. 

“A…aren’t you going to check our course?” Hiiro stammered, forcing his eyes away from the smooth skin and firm flesh moving about the cabin. 

“Sure,” Duo nodded, seeming mildly confused. “I’ll do it.”

Hiiro kicked himself mentally for having reacted so strongly, but there was little he could do about it other than force his emotions to calm and get some sleep. He knew that was going to be more difficult than it seemed when Duo returned, yawning widely and flopped down in the bunk beside him. 

“Approach signal should wake us early. G’night, Hiiro,” he mumbled sleepily, rolling over so that his bare back was fully exposed to Hiiro’s hungry eyes whereupon he groaned internally and covered his head. 

He couldn’t deny it. He wanted to touch him, wanted to feel his hand moving over his cool skin and hear the sumptuous sounds of an impassioned lover. He was ready, so ready to hold a warm body and express his feelings in a physical way. His mind simmered with thoughts of soft groans and Duo’s voice gently calling out his name, his hands gripping and pulling him closer while his blood began to sing with untapped passion. He moaned, desperate to release the building tension and let the flames consume him, his body striving, straining to reach out and claim the one who could cure the avid fever that had taken him over, body and mind. 

He gasped softly when the climax overtook him, rearing up off his cot while waves of heat bled from his body as his eyes darted to Duo slumbering quietly and his lungs sucked air only when he was certain he was still sound asleep. He groaned and rolled over to face the wall in utter mortification while his heart slowed, his body cooled and he realized he was going to have to make a trip to the head. Illicit dreams about his partner and friend, he had been reduced to smutty dreams, but was it so wrong to want to be with the one he desired? He paused to gaze at his sleeping partner when he was finished in the head. Duo’s face lay in peaceful sleep, his eyes smiling even while they were closed to the reality of the world around him and Hiiro sighed happily just to look upon him. His desire to confront the one who had so utterly encompassed his world as of late needled him into stepping toward him, but it was at that moment the approach signal went off. 

“Hiiro?” Duo garbled sleepily, wiping at his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Approach just sounded,” he replied, letting his desire for confrontation slip away. 

“Didn’t’ you sleep?” 

“Some.”

“Don’t worry,” Duo mumbled, rolling over to face the wall. “We’re not gonna let anything happen to the Earth.”

Hiiro paused, snorting wryly to himself. Only Duo would understand the depth of his personal attachment to Mother Earth. 

“Get up,” he snipped, jerking Duo’s unused blanket from beneath his feet. 

“Hey!” 

“You’re taking us in,” Hiiro informed him. 

“You’re getting awfully bitchy in your old age,” Duo groused, but rolled out anyway. 

“Yeah, well,” Hiiro grumbled, heading to the back of the shuttle to prep their gear, “That is entirely your fault.” He didn’t wait around to gauge the confusion the comment wrought, but he was just a bit fed up with his own lack of control.

Docking went as smooth as one could expect it to with an ex-Gundam pilot at the helm and they soon stepped out into the weekly rain cycle of L2’s fall season. 

“They couldn’t hold off until we left?” Duo grumbled, sloshing through the puddles on the way to their rental car. 

“Lets just hope this job doesn’t take too long,” Hiiro groused, stepping into the grass and Duo’s hand stilled on the car door when he was suddenly six inches shorter. He snorted when he heard a sucking sound as Hiiro pulled his foot free and his face contorted with disgust and busted up laughing when his partner went looking for his shoe. 

“Shut up,” Hiiro grumbled, pouring the mud out of his shoe as his lips curled into a justified grin when Duo laughed so hard he slipped and smacked ass first into the muddy bank on the other side. 

For a moment all he could do was sit and blink while laugher bubbled up and spilled from Hiiro’s throat, but then he burst out giggling again while he extracted himself from the soggy ground. 

“You get to explain this when we turn the car back in,” he chuckled, doing his best to wipe at least most of the dirt off his pants. 

“Bill the governor,” Hiiro snickered, climbing in beside him, but his mirth wavered moderately at the odd way Duo was looking at him. “What?” he laughed, loathe to lose the good humor. 

“You sort of glow when you crack a joke,” Duo informed him, starting the car, but Hiiro had no response to the comment and, so held his tongue. Duo, however, just had to add, “Looks good on ya,” before backing out and sparing his partner the embarrassment of having him see his ears catch on fire. 

The trip to city hall was wet and miserable, but Duo couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from his face. After a time Hiiro’s curiosity got the better of him and he had to ask. 

“What?”

“What?” Duo echoed while he gazed around them and his eyes darted down alleys and read the names over the storefronts. 

“You look unreasonably happy,” his partner chuckled, finding himself infected with good cheer. 

“I dunno,” Duo shrugged, looking around again. “See that corner?” he pointed out an intersection where a neighborhood grocer and flower shop did business side by side. “That building used to be a cat house. On decent nights when the guys were being friendly and charitable you could always count on a hand out from the gals.” The thought of Duo as an eight year old child begging for handouts from a pack of drunken hookers and their Johns quickly stole Hiiro’s smile away, but Duo was undaunted. “There was a leg plate off a Leo down there,” Duo said as he slowed beside an alleyway. “Guess it’s gone now,” he sighed almost sadly, moving on down the street. 

“Did you play there?” Hiiro asked. 

“Lived there for awhile.” Lived there? Hiiro’s eyes shot back toward the alley, but he refrained from speaking. “Just look at it,” Duo smiled and Hiiro complied. “Who would’ve thought the battles we fought would have actually brought this place back to life?”

And suddenly Hiiro understood the smile on his partners face while he watched some kids dart across the street laughing merrily, there was an older couple who bought a snack from a street vender dressed in bright red stripes and a paper hat and a young boy courted his girl in the shadow of an entryway. 

“Looks like you saved them after all,” he smiled, soaking it all in. 

“We did,” Duo amended. “All of us,” he smiled, noticing a young girl and her dog walking down the sidewalk. 

Hiiro tensed, having his own ghosts chase him for a moment, but as the child’s face came into view with her smile as happy as her laughter he knew exactly what Duo was feeling and why. At least he thought he did until he noticed the light had drained from his eyes. 

“Duo?”

He did not reply as his gaze had settled on an empty lot they were slowly driving past, but Hiiro held his questions seeing the demons playing in the depths of his eyes. There was a history here he didn’t dare ask about, but it appeared Duo was in need of more than a quick look. 

“We’ll be late,” Hiiro reminded him when he stopped the car and got out. 

“I’ll just be a minute,” Duo assured him, dancing through traffic to stand before the lot on the other side of the street. 

As much as he wished otherwise, he went to join him. This place reeked of dark shadows and painful memories, but he didn’t really comprehend the magnitude of his observation until he stepped up to a fragment of wall that appeared to be all that remained of the Maxwell Church. 

”Ever had homemade rock candy?” Duo asked, closing his eyes as if he could smell it cooking. 

“No,” Hiiro replied uncertain of how to act in this place. He knew of the tragedy and that Duo was the sole survivor, but knowing of something and actually living through it were entirely different things. 

“Just boil sugar.” Hiiro’s heart hurt just thinking about it, but Duo’s smile suddenly turned it around. “Sister would even put in a little vanilla sometimes,” he grinned. “That was her kitchen.” Hiiro gazed at the empty space, visualizing a stove and table. “And father preached his Sunday sermon from a high pulpit right there.”

“Were there windows?” he asked, smiling when Duo rounded on him with eyes as bright as any child’s and began to pour out all the wonders he had taken in during his time there. 

“Oh, hell yeah! There was one behind the alter, big as the moon! Had this scene of some guy putting a crown on Jesus, but it never made sense to me. The little ones went around the top of the walls,” he revealed, dancing in a circle while he gazed at where his memory placed them and Hiiro felt his chest swell with excitement. “They had these weird white blobs in them that I think were supposed to be doves. Looked more like marshmallows,” he laughed. 

“Is this where you went to school?” Hiiro prodded, hoping to see more of that bright light in those beautiful, violet eyes. 

“Naw.” Perhaps it had been the wrong question. “There was a public school down the block where that building and loan was. They must’ve torn it down. It was a rat hole anyway. Man,” he sighed, gazing up into the artificial sky. “If they could see this place now.”

“We can see it,” Hiiro reminded him, calling his attention back to him. “And so can they,” he added, nodding at a pair of boys riding by on their bikes. 

“Yeah,” Duo smiled agreeably, coming to stand before him. “And it’s all because you have no sense of survival.”

For a moment Hiiro stood staring at him, uncertain of exactly what he meant, but the jovial light flickering in Duo’s eyes gave him away and they burst out laughing at the same time. 

“Come on,” Duo laughed wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “We’re late.”

Hiiro didn’t bother to remind him he had already pointed that fact out, finding himself once again utterly amazed by his fortitude. He wondered as they pulled away if he would have been able to stand in that lot and laugh if their roles had been reversed. 

**

“Mr. Maxwell.”

“Governor Chauncy,” Duo smiled, shaking the large man’s hand and Hiiro got the feeling his partner liked the guy if only for his strange resemblance to a shaven Santa Claus. “Sorry we’re late.”

“Quite alright,” he smiled, offering them a chair in his over sized office. “Would you care for coffee? Tea?”

“Tea would be great,” Duo smiled, winking at a grateful Hiiro. 

“If you would please?” the Governor instructed his secretary who nodded and went off to fill the request. “Now,” he smiled, grunting in that jovial Santa Clause way while he settled in the big chair behind his desk. “I understand we may be of some service to you.”

“As Vice Minister Darlian has informed you,” Duo began, “We require the use of the colony’s isoelectric boosters to aide in an effort to correct the orbit of the moon.”

“You don’t say,” he breathed wondrously. “Miss Relena explained, of course, but I find it so preposterous to even consider. Are you certain this new orbit will even cause problems on Earth?”

“Within the year the tides will have shifted to a point most of the land will have disappeared beneath the ocean’s surface,” Hiiro explained. 

“Storms will plague any land masses still available making life on the planet hostile if possible at all,” Duo went on. 

“I see,” the Governor nodded wisely. “Then there is no other recourse. However, I’m afraid we can offer you little hope.”

“What do you mean?” Hiiro asked offensively. 

“I’m afraid the engines you speak of haven’t been operational on this colony in over a decade,” he sighed heavily. 

“Let us worry about the repairs,” Duo smiled. “You just warn your people things might get a little hairy when we fire.”

“Forgive me if I choose to wait until you’ve managed that miracle,” he laughed, shaking all over just as any good Santa should. 

“Governor?” 

The conversation paused long enough for the tea to be served and Duo to be on a first name basis with the lady serving it, who just happened to be a personal friend of one Chelsea Witum, currently in the employ of Vice Minister Darlian. Hiiro was, once again, impressed by his partner’s intuition. 

“We’ve had teams of technicians working on those engines for years,” Governor Chauncy commented. “I’ll give you full security clearance of course, but I don’t see that there’s much you can do.”

“We fire Thursday morning at nine a.m. precisely,” Duo informed him, standing to leave. “Inform the people so no one has a heart attack when we rattle the walls,” he grinned while Hiiro fell into step behind him. 

“You seem very confident we’ll be able to repair the engines,” Hiiro commented in the elevator on the way out. 

“Piece of cake,” his partner smiled, but it was the way he smiled that narrowed Hiiro’s eyes. 

“Why?’ he asked suspiciously, knowing he was onto something the moment Duo grinned. 

“Because I’m the one who shut’em down.”

“Why in the hell would you shut down an entire colony’s mobility?” Hiiro was still questioning when they arrived at their destination. 

“Because they were gonna use them to fry half the population,” Duo replied, effectively stalling that line of questioning. 

“Okay,” Hiiro conceded. “But how?” He simply could not comprehend that a seven year old could have accomplished such a task. 

“Trade secret,” Duo chuckled, turning to greet Wallace Mier, head technician and lead mechanic in charge of overseeing the massive, albeit inoperable, engines of L2. 

Hiiro knew he was in trouble the moment the man lifted an arm and cried, “Duo! Baaaaby! Where the hell ya been, boy!?”

He was tall and young with big, brown eyes and arms that were quick to jerk Duo into a colossal hug and Hiiro did not like him. Not one bit. 

“Wally, babe,” Duo grunted. “Must breathe.”

If Hiiro broke the guys arm he’d be able to breathe. 

“Ahhhha ha ha ha! S’been too long, boy,” Wallace laughed, dropping his armful on his feet. “And who’s this?” he asked smiling at Hiiro, but the promise of a quick death in his eyes changed his mind about another hug. 

“Wally Mier,” Duo smiled. “Meet Hiiro Yui.”

“Think you could’a done better, boy,” Wally whispered way too loud. “Don’t seem like the friendly type, that one.”

“He’s a lot fuzzier on the inside,” Duo grinned, ignoring the hearted glare Hiiro sent his way. 

“Well, come on in,” Wally insisted, tossing an arm around Duo’s shoulders Hiiro would just as soon have removed. 

“Is Cason still with you?” Duo asked. 

“Naw, lost him last winter.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Duo gasped. “He didn’t drift did he?”

“In a way,” Wally nodded sagely, unable to hide the smirk when he added, “Right into the arms of an Irish lass down at the pub!”

Hiiro rolled his eyes secretly while Duo roared with laugher with his friend. 

**

“Cason has a kid!?” 

It had been the longest two hours of his life. All he could do was sit and watch while Wally and Duo laughed and caught up with each other. As it turned out, Wally was an ex-Sweeper as well, or as ex as any Sweeper ever gets. He still had regular dealings with the original crew which was something Duo was enormously interested in, so Hiiro didn’t mind allowing him the time. It was Wally’s incessant need to _constantly_ be touching him that rankled his nerves. 

“And a girl at that,” Wally laughed, gripping Duo’s shoulder. 

“Well,” Duo chuckled. “They say what comes around…”

“Will get’cha in the end!” 

Hiiro steeled his nerve while they laughed heartily again, but Duo’s mirth seemed to have a much shorter fuse than when they first arrived. 

“Sooo,” he sang, eyeing his partner’s sour face. “When can we get this show on the road?”

“Ahh, come on,” Wally entreated. “You can take the night off to show an old friend some love can’t’cha?” he smiled, flinching under Hiiro’s intense gaze. 

“Gotta get those engines warmed up,” Duo sighed. 

“Still think ya can make ‘em purr with nothing but a soft touch, eh?” Wally grinned, moving in to brush his shoulder against Duo’s and for the first time Hiiro honestly thought of smacking him because Duo suddenly looked disquieted by the touch and glanced nervously at Hiiro before asking…

“Are the seven/ten access tunnels still clear?”

“Far as I know,” Wally nodded, sniffing in disappointment. “Don’t know what you’ll find down there though, no one’s been in there for years. All that’s there are the cooling fans, but you should be all right since they don’t work either,” he laughed, but this time Duo only joined him in a smile. 

“Thanks, Wally,” Duo offered and Hiiro was at the door before his butt had fully left the chair. 

“I’ll fix ya a bunk,” Wally called after them. “You can hole up here and we’ll break out the good wine!”

“Better have something besides channel rat for the grill!” Duo called back. 

“Have that boy of yours grab one on your way back! Looks to me he could use the chance to blow off some steam! Ya might get through the night with your ass intact!”

Duo waved him off, choosing not to look back or at Hiiro while they descended into the first tunnel, but it wasn’t until they had reached the third level that he finally spoke. 

“Sorry about Wally,” he sighed, jumping down the last five feet of the ladder to splash in the shallow water collected in the long stagnant airshaft. 

“I doubt he even realizes he’s being rude,” Hiiro brushed it away. 

“No,” Duo said, shaking his head and the odd way he didn’t seem to want to look at him caught Hiiro’s eye. “I mean what he said…about us.” But there was no comprehension in Hiiro’s eyes. “He thinks we’re together,” Duo explained, huffing when Hiiro still didn’t snap. “You know? Like a couple? That crack about my ass?”

“OH!” Of course! How in the hell had he missed it? “Uh…right…Really?” Was that why he seemed so unfriendly?

“Yeah,” Duo sighed. “I’ll straighten him out later,” he promised, turning down another, smaller tunnel where they were forced to use their lamps because the lights had blown in the area. 

“Why would he think that?” Hiiro wondered, worried that he may have let on about how he felt toward his beautiful partner. 

“Because he’s jealous I would think.”

“OW!” Hiiro growled, having hit his head when he stood up. 

“You okay?” Duo asked worriedly. 

“Jealous?” Duo nodded and moved them down the tunnel. “You mean he likes you?” he asked, both fearing the answer and needing to know. 

“He used to tell me we’d get married when I came of age,” Duo laughed. “I guess he still thinks it could happen.”

“You’re of age now,” Hiiro pointed out feeling a little ill. 

“Yeap,” Duo sighed, taking them down another, even smaller tunnel. “But I ain’t the little wife he thought I’d grow up to be,” he laughed, then stopped and stood so still Hiiro drew his gun. 

In an instant the creature pounced, but its huge head spurt blood when Duo’s knife sank into its eye and Hiiro pumped two bullets in its brain. Duo was panting and soaked to the bone by the time he wrenched his knife free of the huge rat’s skull while blood stained both his hand and his face as he glared down at it with lightening dancing in his eyes. 

“One more for the grill,” he growled low, spitting the foul stench into the water while he cleaned his blade and returned it to its sheath. 

“You really used to eat those?” Hiiro questioned feeling bile rise in his throat when they left the carcass behind. 

“No,” Duo replied. “But they used to try and eat us. This way.”

A seven year old boy, trudging through that muck with those beasts waiting around every corner in the middle of a plague infested war zone. It was all Hiiro could think about. How in the hell did he survive?

“How deep do we have to go?” Hiiro asked, tiring of the backbreaking journey. 

“If memory serves…just around that bend are the cooling fans.”

“If memory serves?” Hiiro groaned. “You mean you’re not sure?!”

“I was six years old!”

Six. Gods in Heaven.

Any reply he might have had to the comment died in his throat when they rounded the corner and the tiny tunnel suddenly opened up onto a cavernous maze of huge fans, each easily as wide as a man is tall, but it appeared to be the twenty feet wide one in the middle they were after. 

“Duo, what are you doing?” Hiiro sighed, leaning his aching back against the wall while Duo dug down under the water at the base of the largest fan. 

“Fixing the…stupid engines,” Duo grunted pulling at something, “So we can get…the hell...outta this…stinky…rat infested…air shaft!” he blurted, falling back into Hiiro’s arms when whatever he had been jerking on came free. 

It was as if time started to move when the great fan began to turn and the smaller fans surrounding it gradually built momentum until the wind whipped at their hair and left them laughing with delight. 

“What did you do?” Hiiro demanded. 

“What any little kid would do in my situation,” Duo smiled, holding up the head of a plastic doll, “Threw my baby doll at it!”

Hiiro burst into laughter, completely loosing control and snatching Duo into his arms to hug him in an emotional overload. 

“You’re incredible!” he smiled, shouting over the noise of the fans.

“Just lucky!” Duo countered, creasing his brow when Hiiro suddenly stopped laughing. 

“Duo?”

“Yeah?”

“How are we supposed to get back out?” Hiiro asked, gazing at the fans turning quickly all around them. 

“Well,” Duo cocked his head, stuffing the doll’s head into his belt. “That’s the tricky part.”

“The tricky part?!”

“Come on! It’ll be like hop scotch!”

“It’s a rotating guillotine!” Hiiro shouted, but Duo was already in position to make the first jump with his eyes carefully timing the movement of the blades until he suddenly darted through. 

“Come on, man! You’re an agile guy!” he laughed, preparing to make the next leap. 

“You better hope so,” Hiiro groused, preparing for the first jump. “Because if I leave anything behind I’m going to kill you when we get out,” he promised darting through the first of the blades. 

**

“Oh, come on,” Duo chuckled, climbing ahead of his partner on one of the longer ladders. “There were only four of them. I did it when I was six.”

“You were smaller,” Hiiro grumbled, glancing down the seemingly endless shaft. 

“The place did seem a lot bigger ba…AHH!” Duo suddenly screamed and Hiiro just saw the snout of a rat hissing in the intersection above while his heart stopped and Duo slipped, fell backward with his hands moving in slow motion while they desperately tried to grip the wet rungs and Hiiro’s mind locked on, each motion a clearly foreseeable conclusion as he reached out and caught him by the wrist. 

“DUO!” 

“Pull me up!” Duo cried, holding as still as he could where he dangled beneath his partner. 

“Grab the ladder!”

“Can’t!” Duo replied, “Arms dislocated.”

Hiiro looked up to find the rat snarling over the edge of the shaft looking for a way to get to them, but he couldn’t let go of the ladder to reach his gun. 

“Let go.”

“Shut the hell up!” Hiiro growled so vehemently the rat scurried back down the tunnel. 

With a great heave and a boatload of raw determination, he managed to pull them up one rung at a time until he could see into the tunnel where the rat scurried around about fifteen feet away. As quietly as he could he continued his momentous climb, ignoring the painful grunts coming from his captive until, with one huge effort he tossed Duo into the tunnel and pulled his gun just in time to kill the rat before it landed on his head. A moment later Duo was cradled tightly in his trembling arms while he tried desperately to calm his raging heart. 

“Don’t you _ever_ do that again!” he growled, “You never give up!” he exclaimed rocking them quickly while the terror slowly bled from his body. “Damn it! Are you all right?” he asked, holding Duo’s head in his hands while he looked him over then crushed him in his arms again. “I almost lost you. Why didn’t you grab the ladder?! Shit, your arm!” he suddenly remembered loosening his hold, but his arms and hands were shaking too badly to be of much help to his injured partner. 

“It’s okay,” Duo soothed, finding himself in another bone crunching hug. “Hiiro, calm down.”

“Don’t ever do that again,” Hiiro repeated. 

“Just calm down. We need to get out of here.”

“Can you walk?” 

“My legs are fine, I just pulled my shoulder out,” Duo explained. 

“Here,” Hiiro offered the butt of his pistol. “Bite,” and Duo did just before he growled when Hiiro popped his shoulder back in place. “Sorry,” he apologized. “It’s easier if it doesn’t get a chance to settle.”

“I’m not gonna ask how you know that.”

“Should I carry you?”

“My feet still work,” Duo laughed, adding a sarcastic, “but if you’re feeling froggy…whoa! Hiiro! Put me down! I was just kidding! I can walk, damn it!”

But Hiiro didn’t put him down until they came to the mouth of the final tunnel where Duo insisted he either set him on his feet before Wally saw them or learn to sleep with one eye open. It pained him to do so as he had quite enjoyed having his slender body so close, but there was no reason to embarrass him since technically, he could walk. They were most of the way back to Wally’s place before the man burst from the door, grinning to beat the band. 

“You did it!” he hollered heading straight for Duo, but his enthusiasm took a major hit when Hiiro stepped firmly in front of his partner. 

“He’s injured,” he explained to the crestfallen Wally. 

“You broken, kid?” Wally asked, peering around the steadfast form of Hiiro Yui. 

“Naw,” Duo smiled, favoring his arm. “Just bruised.”

“But ya did it!” he gushed trying to embrace him, but Hiiro stiff armed him letting him know in no uncertain terms the hugging of Duo was over. Wally did not look pleased, going so far as to open his mouth to challenge Hiiro’s unspoken law, but Duo smoothly settled the matter. 

“I hope you got that grill hot,” he interjected, breezing between them. “Because we left two for the barbeque in six and twelve.”

“Did they get you?” Wally was suddenly concerned, following Duo into his shack. 

“Pulled my shoulder.”

“Where the hell were you!?” he shot at Hiiro while he opened the door for Duo. 

“Saving my ass from getting sucked down an output,” Duo snipped. “We need to test the engines,” he added, leading the suddenly melancholy group inside. 

Hiiro stayed close to Duo during their preparations for the trip to the main control center, so close in fact, Wally’s good mood was spoiled beyond repair leaving him testy and anxious after the ten minute walk. Most of the technicians assigned to the task of repairing the long dead engines lived onsite during the week, much as a military group would, but Hiiro wasn’t surprised to find more of Duo’s old friends waiting for them. 

“Maxwell!? Should’a known it was you,” a toothless woman well into her forties grinned. She was large and round with a wide smile like a toad and eyes that reminded Hiiro of a beetle. 

“Hey, Truse!” Duo smiled, falling happily into her arms where he was squished beyond the capability to breathe until he grunted, “Ease up, arm’s had enough for one day.”

“You hurt?” she asked, looking him over with the care and tenderness of a mother rhino. 

“Ah! Y…yeah…the arm,” Duo gasped, but he was laughing so Hiiro put a lid on the urge to peel the woman off. 

“Guess fixin our baby wasn’t as easy as all that then!” she laughed, raising her hand to clap Duo on the shoulder, but he was suddenly not there anymore leaving her to swat at thin air. She gave only a quick look to locate him by Hiiro’s side before dismissing the matter and smiling again. “So, you come all the way out here just to bust my bubble or what?”

“We need to borrow your engines,” Duo informed her. 

“For what?” she asked, narrowing her eyes protectively. 

“You know, save the world, same shit, different day,” Duo shrugged, moving around her toward where two others were busily studying the suddenly active control panels.

“He bull shittin me, Wally?” she asked while Hiiro headed to the other side of the room where more panels were located. 

“Governor says he’s in charge,” he informed her.

“The Gov’ner?” she gasped, turning wide, black eyes on the newcomers. “You don’t say.”

“We’ll need access to your parts supply,” Hiiro told them. 

“Why’s that?” Truse inquired, shooing one of the young men that were doting about away from his station. 

“I’m afraid we’ll have to alter things a little,” Duo piped in, calling their attention. 

“Where is your tool locker?” Hiiro asked and they looked back to him. 

“Number two’s up,” Duo said, turning their heads again. 

“Four and six are less than eight percent.”

“We’ll need magnesium. Wally? You got a ready supply?”

“Might be able to bypass, it’d be quicker.”

It was like watching a tennis match and Truse’s eyes were starting to cross watching them volley. 

“We’ll never get enough power that way,” Duo shook his head. 

“If you can supply it,” one of the young men smiled. “We would be happy to assist in your alterations.”

Duo paused to cock a brow and run an appraising eye over him. “He qualified, Truse?”

“Best tech’s this bucket’s got to offer,” she grinned proudly. 

“What’s your name?” Duo asked. 

“Crank.” Duo’s eyes widened as if trying not to laugh, but he was unable to hold back when the young man turned with a smile and introduced his partner, “And this is Ratchet.”

“For real?” Duo laughed, receiving a satisfied smirk from both technicians. “Okay, you’re on,” he agreed, turning his console over. Hiiro did the same, leaving his to Ratchet to join his partner.

“Where are we going to get a hundred pounds of magnesium on a colony?” Hiiro asked when they got into the car. “That’s raw ore you know?” 

Duo smiled cheekily, telling him to, “Turn left,” before claming up entirely. 

Hiiro considered prodding him about it, but he looked so cute gazing out the window in smug security he didn’t have the heart to ruin it. He had a pretty good idea where they were headed anyway, but it would be interesting to see how Duo intended to solve the matter. 

“How’s the arm?” he asked, giving his shoulder a tentative squeeze while he guided them through the drizzling rain. 

“Stiff, but I’ll survive,” Duo shrugged, groaning softly under Hiiro’s tender care. 

It sounded so good Hiiro dug a little deeper massaging out the ache that always accompanied dislodged bones being snapped back into place. The tendons would be overextended and the joint sore and swollen. He didn’t realize how long he had been kneading the shoulder until Duo groaned deeply and arched his head to the side to expose a long length of the curvature of his neck and softly sighed, “Man, you have nice hands.” The hand in question was jerked back quickly when the owner realized he was feeling him up. “You’re onto me, huh?” Duo chuckled, sending Hiiro’s mind scurrying for an explanation until he looked over at him quizzically. “I’m surprised you know where the junkyard is.”

The junkyard! Of course, Hiiro sighed to himself. He was taking them there. 

“You worked there for awhile after the war,” Hiiro commented, drawing another curious look from his companion. 

“How did you know that?”

“Quatre,” seemed to be explanation enough, then Duo smiled when they stopped in front of their destination. 

“I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she’s gets a load of us,” Duo chuckled and Hiiro smiled when he rolled his shoulder demonstrating some improvement in mobility. 

“Duo!” Hilde cried, but it wasn’t from inside the office they had knocked on as she was standing on the sidewalk about half a block away with a bag of groceries in her hand. “Is it really you!” she grinned, flying into his arms. 

“Unless they’ve legalized cloning,” Duo smiled while he hugged her tight. “Is Kirsten here?”

“He’ll be in the yard,” she smiled. “Hi, Hiiro. Are you two here on business?” she asked, leading them into the office. 

“Afraid so,” Duo nodded. 

“It’s that moon business isn’t it?” she asked, setting her bag down. 

“We intend to use the colony’s engines to correct its orbit,” Hiiro explained, pausing when she stopped to gawk at him. 

“What?” Duo prompted. 

“I just…I’ve never heard him talk before,” she laughed and though Duo joined her, Hiiro’s lips went thin. “I’m sorry,” she chuckled. “But it’s true. I never really realized until you just said something.”

“We’re looking for a load of magnesium,” Duo informed her. 

“Not much luck around here,” she sighed. 

“Are you still taking in old batteries?” he grinned. 

“Sure,” she replied and Hiiro’s lips curled knowingly. 

**

“That’s the last of them,” Kirsten cautiously informed his rather grumpy looking work mate. 

“Load them on the truck,” Hiiro instructed while he stripped off his gloves. Dismantling old batteries to extract the magnesium wasn’t the most pleasant of jobs, but it allotted them with a suitable supply. “I’ll see how Hilde and Duo are coming along.”

Kirsten seemed like a nice enough fellow, albeit a bit dull when compared to working with Duo, but his long haired partner had insisted on pairing up with Hilde. It wasn’t something that should have bothered him considering Kirsten was the ladies betrothed, but Hiiro still felt a pang when he thought about it. Jealousy wasn’t something he was used to dealing with even when it came to simply sharing Duo’s time. He took a deep breath and sighed on the walk through the yard, determined to master these new feelings. Things were so much simpler before he had the urge to push him down and kiss him senseless. 

“…said he’s been opening up more lately,” Hilde was saying. 

“I know,” Duo grunted as if working hard at something and Hiiro’s feet slowed. “It’s just…I dunno, he acts so…odd sometimes. It’s like I don’t even know him anymore.”

“But this is good for him, right?” 

“Yeah,” Duo sighed. 

“Then why do you sound so depressed about it?” she chuckled. 

There was a long silence where Hiiro heard tools being returned to their box before Duo spoke. 

“It took so long,” he began. “Back during the war. Hell, I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t kill me on sight for weeks. Then things seemed to change. It was like he started to really trust me, ya know?”

“Soooo, you’re afraid something might change between you?” she prompted. 

“I guess,” he replied and Hiiro felt a sadness in his heart. “Pretty selfish, huh?” 

“I don’t know. Considering the situation, that might be a good thing,” she reasoned. “You haven’t seen much of him since the end of the war, right?”

“He wanted to be with Relena,” Duo replied softly. 

“Are they serious, then?” 

“Who knows,” he sighed. “I thought they’d be married by now, but he said they’re not even dating.”

“Then there’s no reason for you to run away,” she replied gently. 

Hiiro’s heart was in his throat, a lump of coal dry and choking when he began to understand Duo’s reluctance to accept the changes that were happening inside him. All his fears were confirmed when his partner softly intoned, “I just don’t want to lose his friendship.”

He couldn’t breathe and stepped back into the yard wandering down a likely isle between the stacks of discarded machines. Duo was his friend, his first friend, his best friend and he was upset that all that was coming to an end. He must have caught onto Hiiro’s awakening feelings and feared the inevitable confession, a confession he was obviously not unfamiliar with as even Wally had openly expressed an interest in taking his beautiful partner as a mate. He didn’t want to loose Hiiro’s friendship by rejecting him. How would their relationship cope with such an occurrence? But he couldn’t keep it from him because the need, the desire to hold him was just too strong. His pulse slowed when a plan came to mind, they would have to talk, but he would make it clear their friendship was very important to him, too. 

“Duo.”

“Yeah?” he smiled, suddenly moving about. 

“The truck’s ready,” Hiiro informed him.

“You’ll come back to visit before you leave?” Hilde asked while Kirsten stepped up behind her. 

“That all depends on if it works,” Duo grinned. 

**

“Are you sure they’ll be okay?” Duo asked, getting up to look out the tiny window of Wally’s shack again. 

“Relax,” he laughed, tipping his beer. “Truse is up there with them, she’ll see that they don’t botch the job. Sit down and rest, you’re exhausted.”

“We can’t afford any mistakes on this job,” Duo grumbled, but did as he was bid and plopped back in the chair he had been bouncing in and out of all evening.

“Never could leave it to anyone else,” Wally chuckled, smiling at him with open adoration. 

“I should call Relena,” Hiiro piped up. 

It was more of an excuse to leave the room before he cooked the side of Wally’s face with his eyes and embarrassed Duo any further, but he had promised to call her before they left Earth. Duo’s expression softened, but he nodded and lifted his leg to allow him to pass by and the action sent a hot flash down Hiiro’s spine that ended up plastered all over his face before he made it out the door and he reminded himself that they needed to talk very, very soon. 

“Hiiro!” Relena smiled brightly. “How are you’re preparations coming? You look so tired.”

“The alterations are under way,” he informed her, feeling the truth of the statement. 

“You’ve repaired the engines already?” she inquired, looking suitably proud. 

“Duo repaired them,” he sighed, stealing away some of her glow. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked suspiciously. 

His mouth dropped open to assure her there was nothing to worry about, but no words fell from his lips. Instead, he cocked his head and inquired, “Are you aware that most everyone assumes we are involved?”

She blushed prettily and glanced away, “Most people assume what they wish to see.”

“What do you see?” he asked very gently. 

He was sure he had dealt with the matter badly when she bristled and stuttered a quick, “W…why I…never really…” but then her eyes rolled and she sighed deeply, forcing herself to relax. “Am I so transparent?” is what she ended up asking. 

“You’ve never kept you’re affection for me hidden,” he reminded her. 

“I’ve been waiting,” she smiled. “Waiting for the day when you would be ready to explore the greater meaning of a deeper bond.”

“I am ready,” he said more to himself than her only realizing his blunder when her eyes brightened. “But I’m afraid,” he added, steeling his nerve to allow for the necessary honesty, “My heart has been waiting for someone else.”

It hurt when her eyes misted over and he wondered if he hadn’t just damaged a friendship that was almost as important to him as Duo’s, but she quickly forced the sorrow away and found him a sad, little smile. However, he was wholly unprepared when she grinned and asked, “You care for him very much…don’t you?”

For a moment he was too stunned to answer while every combination of the meaning of the question ran at light speed through his head, but there was no denying her meaning. 

“Apparently, I’m the transparent one,” he chuckled. “How did you know?”

“He’s all you ever talk about,” she sighed and when Hiiro raised a brow at this comment she chuckled lightly. “You didn’t even realize it, did you?” She laughed when he numbly shook his head. “Was it raining when you arrived?”

“Duo said they should’ve waited…” His words faded away while he gazed into her smirking face and realized he automatically began with Duo’s reaction. 

“You’ve got it bad,” she laughed and he found himself laughing along. 

“Tell me about it. Are you all right?” he asked, fearing the loss of a good friend. 

She thought about it for a moment, then sighed deeply, seeming to come to a decision. “No,” she replied. “But I will be.”

“Relena…” he began, but she cut him off. 

“You can’t save me from this one,” she told him. “Just make damn sure you call me if you need me,” she demanded, then smiled and cut the call. 

She was right of course because he couldn’t save her from this pain. His feelings for Duo were too strong, so the best he could offer was second place and that just wasn’t good enough. Not for either of them. Things had become intricately more complicated and though he knew the only path was to speak to Duo, the more pressing matter was seeing the moon’s orbit corrected. Still, he had to confront him one way or another, so it was with a heavy heart that he made his way back toward the small living room of the shack and once again found his feet slowing when the conversation reached his ears. 

“…sure have grown into a fancy man,” Wally was saying, but it was the purring quality of his voice that gave Hiiro pause. If he was trying to put a move on Duo he just really wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it. 

“Fancy is not a term most guys would find appealing,” Duo laughed and Hiiro scooted forward just enough to see that their heads were disturbingly close together. Duo was kicked back in his chair while Wally lazed along the arm and back cradling his chin in the crook of his arms. 

“You ain’t no normal guy,” he smiled and Hiiro’s fist balled up to the point his nails cut into his palm. 

“I ain’t no woman either,” Duo chuckled, rolling his half empty beer bottle over his thigh. 

“Pretty enough to be one,” Wally cooed, inching a little closer and Hiiro almost stepped into the room until Duo softly sighed…

“Lay off, Wally.”

Wally snorted in frustration, but backed away looking decidedly displeased while Hiiro grinned from ear to ear. 

“You used to be a lot friendlier.”

“I used to be a total flirt,” Duo laughed. 

“So what happened?” Wally asked. “Is it him? That partner of yours?”

“It’s not like that,” Duo grumbled, seeming less than amiable all of a sudden and Hiiro’s spirit sagged down to his knees. 

“Don’t try that line on me,” Wally groused, falling into full pout mode. “You’ve got a thing for him.” 

Duo paused, staring intently at the brown bottle in his hand before he softly replied, “I thought he’d be happy with Relena.” 

“Well, then why don’t ya tell him to get on with it?” Wally suggested hopefully. “Then you can stop waiting around and move in with me!” he grinned, but the amusement bled away rather quickly when Duo didn’t join in. “You’re seriously in love with this guy, aren’t ya, boy?” he asked and Hiiro suddenly felt as if the room had turned upside down. 

Duo moped about it for a minute before his faced screwed up in frustration. “I have no idea what he needs anymore,” he grumbled. “But I need him to be happy, ya know? I can’t sleep at night unless I know he’s okay.”

“But he don’t feel the same?” Wally asked softly. 

“I…didn’t think so,” Duo replied. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I dunno.” Hiiro’s breath stilled, waiting for the rest. “You should’ve seen him…down in the tunnel. He was so scared,” Duo said distantly as his eyes took on a far away expression. “It was almost as if…” 

Hiiro almost swallowed his tongue when the vid phone suddenly rang. 

“Hiiro?” Duo called curiously, reminding the eavesdropper that he was supposed to be using that particular device and he had just enough time to step silently into the bathroom before Duo entered the hall. “Hiiro?”

“In here,” he answered evenly and the farce appeared to appease his curious partner as he soon heard him answering the call, giving Hiiro a moment to take a deep breath. 

He couldn’t think straight. From what Wally said it sounded like Duo might be more interested than he originally thought, but then Duo never admitted to anything involving intimate feelings the likes of which Hiiro was feeling for him. What he had spoken to Hilde about seemed to contradict his conversation with Wally. Hiiro knew he had to consider the fact that Wally might be seeing more than was there because of his jealously, but he knew his own feelings and desires could very well be clouding his judgment where Duo was concerned and he jumped two inches off the floor when Duo suddenly banged on the bathroom door. 

“Step it up,” Duo said hastily. “We’re moving.”

“Who was it?” Hiiro asked, suddenly right on his heels. 

“Truse. The alterations are complete. We’re ready for a test run.”

“We’ll need to contact Quatre,” Hiiro commented. 

“We can call him from control,” Duo reasoned. 

“Where’re you going?” Wally gasped softly when they strode through one after the other.

“Time to fire this puppy up,” Duo grinned tossing him his coat. 

Truse had the testing procedures well under way by the time they arrived, so Duo made a call to the governor to inform him of their plans to test the long dormant engines while Hiiro contacted Quatre and Trowa on Earth. 

“Already?” Quatre beamed. 

“We should be ready to fire in less than an hour,” Hiiro informed him. 

“Excellent,” Quatre nodded, going to work at his console beneath the sea. “I’m calling Wufei,” he explained, smiling when his face popped up on both of their screens. 

“Hiiro,” Duo called, gaining his attention while Quatre explained things to Wufei. “Chauncy’s going to make a colony wide announcement in fifteen minutes.”

“Tell him we aim to fire at the top of the hour,” Truse interjected. 

Hiiro nodded turning his attention back to his call while Duo informed the Governor. 

“…abandoned satellite in the X29Zero sector that should make a suitable target,” Wufei was saying and Hiiro brought the asteroid in question up on their screens. 

“It’s thirty five minutes away,” Quatre commented. “Can you be ready in time?”

“That’s pushing it,” Truse shook her head dancing around one of her busy body assistants. 

“Set it up,” Hiiro told his teammates leaving the terminal open while he went to help Duo, who had taken over the main control panel much to their helpers dismay, but once Truse and the boys got a look at how fast they worked together they quickly found more productive ways to spend their time. 

They quickly fell back on old routine, but Hiiro was thrilled to discover they still worked so well together. There was no need for speech other than Duo’s peppering of sarcastic humor, but that was all part of the dance. Within minutes the rest of the world had faded away to nothing more than something to keep distantly aware of while one task after another was completed. Never before or since he had met the braided jokester had he found anyone who so perfectly complimented him. Duo simply knew what he needed, he could think and respond as quickly as Hiiro as their reasoning and logic ran such a fine parallel he was able to push the limits of his own abilities and by the time Duo stopped to grin at him and there seemed to be nothing left undone, he knew he had rediscovered something he never wanted to live without again. 

“What?” Duo smiled curiously and for a moment Hiiro considered simply leaning over and kissing him. 

He settled for, “Feels good,” which left a most satisfactory puzzlement in Duo’s eyes before he went to inform their teammates of their readiness. 

“Affirmative,” Quatre replied. 

“Ready to fire in seven minutes and counting,” Trowa added. 

“Aim to alter the course of the asteroid point two five degrees lateral,” Duo instructed. 

“Why not just set it on a path to the debris area?” Wally asked.

“It’s the same adjustment we intend to attempt on the moon,” Hiiro explained. 

“If it doesn’t explode into a million pieces,” Truse mumbled, but no one acknowledged her concern. 

Last minute preparations were made as each member of the team calmed in their readiness to execute the first joint effort of colony and Earth that had ever been attempted. The underwater control room on Earth glowed with the golden light of the modified beam cannon while the very infrastructure of L2 shook when the ancient engines came to life. Duo worked diligently keeping the power levels smooth while Hiiro fed the enormous energy into L2’s defense network making each of the thousands of small exterior cannons move as one to site precisely on the asteroid as Quatre began a ten second countdown. 

“…five…four…”

“Shit!” Duo suddenly burst, slapping frantically at his console. “ABORT! Main reactor failure! Abort!”

“Bleed it!” Hiiro barked, working desperately to redirect the power flow. 

“I’m trying!”

“Redirect the shot!” Quatre shouted while he and Trowa shut down their end. 

“It’s too late!” Wufei interjected. “Blow the satellite!”

“Duo?” Hiiro shot over his shoulder.

“Kiss it goodbye,” Duo nodded and instantly they were in perfect synchronization until Duo suddenly commanded, “Hit it!” and every gun on L2 fired simultaneously as each beam of light converged into one massive pillar of energy that struck the asteroid dead on. The huge rock moved as if hit by a tidal wave while the colony groaned in protest and they watched in horror while the asteroid lurched having no counter force to hold it in place as its surface melted and sizzled in the heat sending sparks and noxious clouds into open space until, quite suddenly, it exploded in a brilliant flare of sparkling light. 

“Fei?” Duo breathed, staring drop jawed at the main screen where little remained but smoldering chucks of melted rock. 

“What?” came the distant reply.

“I sure hope those shields of yours hold.”

All remained quiet for a time until Quatre reminded them, “We won’t need near that amount of power.” 

“How much time do we have?” Duo asked, already on his feet. 

“Sixteen hours,” Hiiro replied, falling into step beside him. 

“Give me your belt,” Duo demanded of Crank, who handed over his tool belt without a word. 

Hiiro didn’t have to ask for the other, accepting it from Ratchet while he worked out their course of action with his teammates. 

“Do what you have to do,” Quatre instructed firmly. “If we miss this window the Earth will suffer greatly before we get another chance.”

“If we get another chance,” Duo snorted. 

“We should be deep enough here to avoid any problems with radical weather changes,” Trowa reasoned. 

“Let’s hope we don’t have to find out,” Wufei interjected. 

The work site to repair the damage to the main thermal reactor required a lengthy climb up the outside wall of the tower where the core was located, making it painfully impossible to forget that Duo’s body was tantalizingly attractive as Hiiro spent most of the hour staring up at his ass. He couldn’t help laughing at himself, knowing he had been helplessly ensnared for so long, but only then did he recognize his desires. He shook his head and sighed, trying to put his mind back on the task at hand instead of thinking about his hand on Duo, but then he stopped and made that impossible as well. 

“Do you have a size two hex head?” Duo asked, fumbling around his tool belt. 

“Yes,” Hiiro replied, finding one hanging from his own. 

“Allen wrench?”

“Full set.”

“Maybe you should go first,” Duo suggested. “Most of the stuff on here is useless until we get inside.”

Hiiro leaned back gazing past him to see the first access panel they would need to open ten feet above him and his throat went dry when he realized Duo intended for him to climb over top of him where he clung to the ladder to achieve the switch, which meant he basically had to grope and fondle his way by. 

“Hiiro?” 

Hiiro leaned back in, swallowing his racing pulse firmly for a moment before an evil little smile crept upon his face. Well, if it had to be done…

“Hold still,” he told him placing one hand beside his ankle to pull himself up and begin the cross over. 

“Be careful,” Duo reminded him, flattening himself out as best he could to accommodate him. 

Every inch of Duo’s body that passed beneath his nose brought with it a new sensation. He knew he wasn’t ready for it, to be so close to something he wanted so badly. His chest tightened painfully when his eyes passed over the crook of Duo’s knees and his slender thighs so shapely even covered in the dark pants Duo liked to wear brought a swollen heat to his groin that began to pulse with the rise of his heartbeat when his nose came level with a firmly rounded ass. 

“Hiiro?” Duo questioned at his lack of progress. “You okay?”

“Just,” Hiiro replied unsteadily, “taking inventory,” he evaded, pulling a screwdriver from Duo’s belt to add to his own before he resumed his climb. 

The heat in his body refused to yield even after he made it past the sumptuous forbidden area’s of Duo’s body. His braid dangled teasingly between them, tickling his thighs and calves and his scent invaded Hiiro’s nostrils until he felt drunk on the alluring pungency and had to fight to keep his breathing even. 

“Damn,” Duo softly sighed, sending a thrill through him straight down to his toes. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

“Are you all right?” Hiiro breathed next to his ear and a tremendous desire to kiss the supple shell washed over him when Duo shuddered and clung tighter to the railing. 

“Hurry up,” he replied softly. “I can’t catch you if you fall in this position.”

“Want to turn around?” Hiiro quipped, chuckling when Duo started so hard he had to crush him into the ladder to keep them from falling. 

“Just get your ass up there,” Duo grumbled. “We need to get this over with.”

Hiiro smiled all the way to the panel and was still grinning when he crawled inside while Duo followed and turned on a lamp when he was safely off the ladder to reveal a smoky tunnel where the boards they needed to replace were located. 

“Looks like you’re better equipped for this one,” Hiiro grinned.

“Here, just take…”

“Oh no,” he laughed, lying down in the small tunnel to grin at him. “I did my part, this one is all yours.”

Duo’s mouth opened to argue the point, but closed it again seeing the determination in his eyes. 

“Why don’t you head up to the next level and check the boards above us?” Duo grumbled, pushing his way past his prone partner, but he stopped dead still when Hiiro suddenly asked…

“Do you think those two are lovers?”

“Who?” Duo asked, though the word came out on a wisp of a breath as he gazed down on Hiiro’s gently smiling face. 

“Crank and Ratchet,” Hiiro smiled. 

“W…w…why would you ask that?” he stuttered nervously and Hiiro’s grin grew when his cheeks tinted red. 

“The way these belts are set up,” Hiiro shrugged. “It’s almost as if they enjoy playing leap frog while they work.”

“I doubt they’re required to crawl around in access tunnels very often,” Duo grumbled, attempting to move forward, but somehow his pliers had gotten tangled in Hiiro’s plasma torch. “Damn it,” he groused, trying to free himself to no avail. “Will you stop just lying there and help me?” he snipped, but his endeavor was suddenly forgotten when he turned back to see the sappy expression on Hiiro’s face. 

“May I ask you a very personal question?” Hiiro quietly inquired. 

“Now?” Duo replied absently, fiddling with the tangled tools. 

“Is there anyone that you love?”

Duo’s expression ran the gambit from confused to embarrassed to pissed and back again before he finally wrenched his pliers free. “Whatever you feel for her has nothing to do with my love life,” he snipped moving forward, but Hiiro stopped him by grasping his arms. 

“I told you,” he said firmly. “I am not in love with Relena.”

“Look,” Duo sighed. “I wish I could help you on this one, but honestly, you should go to someone else for advice on love.”

“Why?” Hiiro asked hastily and his eyes were asking so many questions Duo was momentarily stunned. 

“Because…”

Hiiro’s eyes drooped lazily as his hands unconsciously pulled him closer while the world was drowned out by the rushing sound in his ears.

“Is there anyone that you love?” he asked again and the words rolled softly off his tongue while Duo’s mouth came so close they were breathing the same air then everything suddenly clicked into place when Duo quietly replied…

“Yes.” 

It was true! It was all that kept resounding in Hiiro’s mind as he gathered his trembling body in his arms and kissed him for all he was worth. It was Hiiro. It was real. It was true. Duo had feelings for him, very deep feelings if his response was any indication as he melted against him, but it ended all too soon. 

“What about Relena?” Duo gasped, pushing away. 

“I told you I don’t love her,” Hiiro reiterated, pulling him back. 

“But she loves you,” he panted, shaking his head in his need to stay coherent. 

“And she knows I love you,” Hiiro smiled, but Duo looked as if he’d just been hit with a baseball bat. 

“What?” he breathed, forcing his freedom. 

Hiiro’s chest seized up, fearing he had pushed too fast. “I’m sorry,” he soothed. “It’s just…that’s the way I feel.”

“Since when?” 

This wasn’t good. “I think…for a long time,” Hiiro replied. “I just never understood…”

“I’m not so sure you do understand,” Duo cut in, sitting back, but he kept one hand on Hiiro’s chest as if to balance himself. 

“I want to be with you,” Hiiro countered cautiously. “I understand that much.”

For a moment Duo sat quietly and Hiiro watched while he tried desperately to work it out, but he hadn’t expected his next comment to be, “You sure picked a fucked up time to start this shit.”

“But…I…” Hiiro stammered while Duo pushed past him and went to work. He watched for a moment as the confusion slowly gave way to frustration until he felt a pout darken his brow. “I didn’t exactly choose this setting,” he grumbled, righting the tools on his belt. 

“Everything you do is planned out perfectly,” Duo snipped ripping at the wires angrily. 

“This isn’t a damn mission, Duo.” 

“Isn’t it?” he countered, wrenching the board free of its housing. “Things didn’t work out like you wanted so you’re falling back on plan B?!” he grumbled, sucking a busted knuckle and though Hiiro heard the pain laced into the words, the comment just seriously pissed him off. 

Duo squeaked when he suddenly found his face in Hiiro’s strong grip and whimpered helplessly when he covered his mouth with a brutal kiss that left him shaking and licking bruised lips while he glared into his eyes and growled, “Do not mock me!” Duo couldn’t catch his breath staring into the righteous determination of Hiiro’s gaze. “I have never been in love with Relena, you know me well enough not to doubt my word,” he told him, turning to quickly crawl back down the tunnel toward the exit. 

Duo sat staring numbly after him until he was outside and ready to begin climbing before calling after him. “Hiiro!?”

“What?” Hiiro snapped, pausing to listen. 

Duo took a moment to gather his thoughts, but fear and uncertainty shone like a beckon in his tone when he replied, “It isn’t you I don’t trust.”

Hiiro’s mouth opened, then closed again before he gave one curt nod and started making his way to the next panel. That hadn’t gone as well as he had hoped, but then he was never terrific at emotional exchanges. At least they were both on the same page. His feelings were known and he had to shake his head when he realized a silly grin had overtaken him knowing that Duo felt the same way. One way or another they would work it out. His heart just refused to see it any other way. Duo cared for him, he was obviously attracted to him as the salty tingle on his lips still testified and there was no way in hell he was going to let anything stop them from being together; the first obstacle baring that path being the mission at hand. 

He found two more shorted circuits to repair before poking his head out to find Duo two ladders over and a tier below who turned his gaze upward, locating his smiling partner before averting his gaze.

“Truse say’s things are clear on her end,” he shouted over the distance. “We should get back down there and run through it once just to be sure. See ya on the ground,” he said and before Hiiro could answer he was sailing down the ladder, but he was not to be out done, quickly hoisting himself outside to grip the sides of his own ladder before zooming down as fast as he could. It still took him until they almost reached the bottom to catch up to his fleeing partner, but all thought of accosting him and forcing a confrontation was lost when he got a look at the crowd of reporters and citizens milling around Wally’s shack. 

“You never said anything about any danger to the colony!” Governor Chauncy growled the moment Duo hit the ground. 

“That’s because there is none,” he replied, heading straight for the control room. 

“Is it true the attempt to help Earth is a danger to the integrity of the colony!?”

“We all felt the tremor!”

“It was like an earthquake!”

“Why should we risk our lives to save Earth!?”

Duo suddenly stopped to gape along with the rest of the crowd when a small explosion lit up the darkening night and each eye came to rest transfixed on the indignant form of Hiiro Yui. 

“There is no danger to the colony,” he told them in a strong, clear voice. “All major structures groan and tremble when a force as great as the isoelectric engines are active.”

“How can you be sure!?”

“We can’t risk ourselves on a chance experiment like this!”

“Everyone saw what happened to the asteroid!”

“Would you rather be known as the colony that let Earth die?” Duo shouted angrily as his temper matched Hiiro’s where he stood glaring down at the crowd. 

Governor Chauncy recovered before anyone else, stepping in to shield them while they made a hasty retreat and they took comfort in the knowledge that he was doing his best to reassure the frightened citizens. Truse and Wally looked less than calm when they arrived, but they had everything ready for power up to see if the reactor would hold. Hiiro kept his silence as the time for talking about personal matters had passed and he would have to wait until things cooled off a little before he could confront Duo. 

The first test failed, sending him back up the tower while Duo worked with the techs, making sure the relays in the control center were functional. A second test hours later failed as well, requiring Duo’s expertise to shimmy into a tight access and free up a frozen switch. They were exhausted and working with less than two hours to go when the engines finally powered up successfully. Truse had insisted they all rest and get a bite to eat in the time they had remaining, but Hiiro had little appetite while he sat quietly and watched Duo force a sandwich down his throat. 

“Are you worried?” Hiiro asked, growing intolerant of the silence. 

“No,” Duo replied softly, picking at the crust on his bread. “Wufei will have the shield strong enough.”

“And what about you?” 

“I’m…confused I guess.” That was understandable, though Hiiro had some difficulty working out exactly what he was confused about. “I really thought you were going to marry her someday,” Duo sighed, shoving another bite in his mouth. 

“Apparently, everyone did.” Hiiro replied. “But I can’t deny what I feel for you.”

“I’m having a hard time grasping that part,” Duo chuckled wryly, discarding the remainder of his half eaten food. 

“Why?” Hiiro inquired gently. 

“Probably because I’ve wanted it so bad for so long…” Duo’s words trailed off as if he simply couldn’t find anymore to express himself while he gazed helplessly into Hiiro’s eyes. 

“Too good to be true?” Hiiro grinned, swatting away a balled up napkin when it sailed at his face. 

“Don’t get cocky,” Duo grumbled. 

“But it is true,” Hiiro smiled, lobbing the paper back at him. “I have no idea how it happened, but here I sit, hopelessly in love and not a clue how to make you understand.”

“Hopelessly?” Duo grinned coyly, peering at him out of the corner of his eye. 

Hiiro savored the expression while he grinned playfully. “Utterly enraptured,” he proclaimed, letting the warmth wash through his chest when Duo graced him with a bright, happy smile. 

“Have you spoken to Relena about this?” Duo asked, catching Hiiro somewhat off guard. 

“Yes.”

“And she’s okay with it?”

“She said,” he paused, recalling her words, “she will be.”

Duo sat quietly for a long moment, turning to inspect the others of their group while they sat around the room eating and talking quietly among themselves. 

“When this is over,” he began, still staring off in the distance. “Maybe we could go away somewhere?” Hiiro’s heart went into sudden double time. “See if we can work this out?” Duo asked, turning his gaze back to his long time friend. 

“Absolutely,” Hiiro smiled, daring to brush his fingers over the back of Duo’s hand and he was brilliantly enthused when he turned the appendage and held his fast. 

“Duo?” Wally inquired. “It’s time.”

The last hour before execution was spent in final preparation. Quatre and Trowa were prepared on Earth and Wufei was steadfast in his confidence in the shields that would protect the moon from the same fate as the asteroid. A great wailing was heard when the systems fired and each gun on L2 sent its bright light to join into a glowing column while the golden beam from Earth burst from the sea and they met in the middle. The shields crackled and hummed, but held fast for the entire lifetime the forty five second burst took to move the massive sphere just enough to put it back on the path it had held for eons. 

Though the shot was not advertised, there appeared to be a great multitude that were aware of it as crowds all over the colonies and Earth cheered and celebrated the victory. Relena was seen giving a speech on an event that would go down in history as the rebirth of the unity of mankind. In time, the moon, a heavenly body that had until that time gone without a name, would become known as the Polestar and an ever present reminder that humans, no matter how distantly removed from one another, are one species and forever bound by the ties of one common goal. 

To live.

**

“You want a refill?” Duo asked, offering to pour what was left of the wine for his companion. 

“As long as you don’t have to move,” Hiiro smiled, nuzzling down into the crick of his neck. It had taken him all night to maneuver his energetic partner into snuggling on his lap on the couch of their moon based retreat and he wasn’t about to give it up just for another glass of wine. 

“You’re awfully cuddly for a hardened war hero,” Duo chuckled, turning and stretching to achieve his goal and they laughing softly when he spilled a drop from the mouth of the bottle onto Hiiro’s robe. 

“It’s the company I keep,” Hiiro smiled, foregoing the drink to draw deeply from his lips once again. 

No matter how many times he kissed him it only seemed to leave him wanting to kiss him again. They had spent two nights on the shimmering surface of the moon, holed up in their luxury apartment talking about their new situation and getting comfortable with the more intimate side of their feelings, but Hiiro was growing impatient as his every attempt to lay Duo down and complete their journey from friends to lovers had been skillfully evaded. He was sure Duo wanted it as much as he did, but he appeared to be having a very good time driving him stark raving nuts. 

“We need a new CD,” Duo chuckled, trying to stand, but Hiiro pulled him back and reached for the remote.

“There are thirty disks in it,” he told him. “I’m sure you can find something you like,” he smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around him in a bold statement of ‘stay’.

Duo laughed, but began to flip though the music until he found a suitable melody.

_Well, it's a marvelous night for a Moondance  
With the stars up above in your eyes  
A fantabulous night to make romance  
'Neath the cover of October skies  
And all the leaves on the trees are falling  
To the sound of the breezes that blow  
And I'm trying to please to the calling  
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low  
And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush  
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush   
Can I just have one a' more Moondance with you, my love  
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love_   
“Dance with me,” Hiiro whispered softly and Duo shivered so deliciously he almost rolled them over to end the tantalizing torture once and for all. 

“You dance, too?” Duo snickered. 

“It can’t be that hard,” Hiiro smiled while they rose to their feet.

Duo laughed lightly thought the blush on his cheeks was pale in the glowing blue/green light of the Earth hanging hugely in the lunar sky while Hiiro wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. 

“Not bad,” he praised appreciatively, stepping in time while his partner turned them slowly as each note of the music vibrated in the air around them until nothing remained but the melody and the stormy, midnight blue of Hiiro’s eyes. 

“I love you,” Hiiro softly intoned, leaning in to steal a kiss and drawing a gasp from Duo’s lungs that begged for a deeper union. 

“Hiiro?” Duo breathed and the weakness in his knees forced Hiiro to bear his weight, but the trembling in his body pulled them down breaking Hiiro’s will so that he laid him on the couch and bent to kiss him as his passion grew so hot Duo’s resistance simply melted away. Every touch left him more intoxicated, each breath a treasure to be swallowed and stored away in his heart, every reaction to his caress, every grippingly desperate touch in return was a testimony to the depth of emotion they felt for each other. 

“Hiiro?” 

“What?” he groaned as his mind was hopelessly lost in his discovery of the wonders of Duo’s flesh. 

“I,” Duo hissed as his body was invaded and Hiiro’s deep baritone growled throatily while he shook and Duo’s fingers sank into the hard muscle of his arms.

“Duo?” 

“I love you!” Duo gasped, clinging to him tightly and Hiiro kissed him with a force that bruised their mouths while he pressed hard down into him and continued the dance. 

** 

“Are you okay?” Hiiro asked, but the smile on his face contradicted any sorrow he may have felt over the night’s events. 

“I was,” Duo chuckled, snuggling deeper into his chest. “About three hours ago. What kind of drugs did you put in that wine?”

“Sorry,” Hiiro laughed, kissing his hair. “But you shouldn’t have teased me so much.”

“So all I have to do is tease you a little to get hours on end of crazy insane, wild and wooly sex?” Duo grinned. 

“You could try teasing me a lot,” Hiiro smirked, bending to kiss his lips gently. “But I suggest we invest in a higher quality lube,” he laughed, tossing the empty bottle at the trashcan where it dropped in dead center. 

“So,” Duo sighed, getting comfortable again. “What now?”

“Want to go into business together?” Hiiro smiled, loving it when Duo’s arms tightened around him.

“Doing what?” 

“Deep space transport.”

Duo paused to consider it before commenting, “You’ve already worked it out.”

“Of course,” Hiiro chuckled. “There will be a great deal of trade between Earth and the colonies from now on,” he reasoned. “Why not capitalize on our skills as pilots? I’m sure we could secure a ship…”

“Class five location freighter do for a start?” Duo grinned. 

“You have access to one?”

“You leave the ship to me,” Duo smiled. 

“That’ll leave lots of free time to drum up clients,” Hiiro replied, pulling him up for another kiss before he added playfully, “Among other things.”

“Maybe we should move a load of lube for the first run,” Duo laughed, finding himself pinned to the mattress again. “We might get perks.”

Duo’s eyes grew wide at the light that sparkled in Hiiro’s eyes when he leaned close to kiss him and purred, “There are other means of satisfaction,” and Duo groaned happily while he proceeded to show him all the ways that statement was true. 

owari :)

**Author's Note:**

> Write it, draw it, create it, sing it, SHARE IT. ~ Sunhawk 2019


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